IG Fic Series 2013 Book Five :Body Snatchers
by Aline Riva
Summary: With the timeline altered due to the time machine,Gadget settles into life with Brenda and their daughter Megan. But then body parts are stolen from the android cemetery, and when the thief sends a note to Chief Quimby implying the next victims will be living human cyborgs, Gadget has a race against time to catch a manic named 'Body Snatcher'.
1. Chapter 1

**IG 2013 Fic series Book Five: Body Snatchers**

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**Note from Author: This is Book FIVE of the ****TEN BOOK ****IG 2013 fic series, and follows on from Book FOUR :The Yesterday Man.**

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**Summary:**

**As Inspector Gadget begins to adjust to life in the altered timeline, Chief Quimby hands him a strange case – it seems the Robotic Cemetery, containing the remains of deactivated androids, has been robbed – and electronic body parts have been removed from the 'corpses'.**

**Gadget begins to investigate, knowing only that the killer has knowledge of cybernetic or robotic surgery, but then as it seems there are more possible suspects than clues, a message is sent to Quimby from the thief, daring him to ****_"catch me if you're smart enough,"_**** and implying that the next body parts will be taken from living human cyborgs.**

**As pressure is put on Gadget to catch the thief, who signs their name as 'Body Snatcher', Gadget wonders if the likeliest suspect is Dr Felix Todd, who like the other possible suspects in the case, has enough cybernetic knowledge to be the Body snatcher. His judgement is clouded by the fact that his daughter Megan had recently gone to Felix for a metallic tattoo, causing him to react with anger and question his motives – but then Felix disturbs an intruder in his lab, who steals cybernetic surgical equipment and attacks him and leaves him for dead.**

**With Bess distraught over what has happened to Dr Todd, Gadget confesses to Brenda that in the previous timeline, him and Bess were lovers – and that he still has all the electronic memories stored away. Brenda reacts with anger and demands that he deletes them, wiping out every memory of the previous timeline, but Gadget refuses, insisting he wants to hold on to all his memories – even if they have no basis in the altered reality.**

**Then as the Body Snatcher strikes again, Gadget is convinced it is the work of one person, but Quimby disagrees, believing it is part of an organized gang –then the Inspector faces a race against the clock to find the Body Snatcher before cyborgs become victims, knowing if the maniac isn't caught, it won't be long before cyborgs begin to die at the hands of a butcher...**

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**Rated****: T**

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**Disclaimer****: I own nothing, this is a work of fan fiction.**

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**Warnings****_:_**** Some bloody scenes, some violence, some dark scenes that may be interpreted by some as horror. Also contains some adult themes, scenes and subject matter.**

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Chapter 1

It had been a bright and warm day in Riverton and to the rest of the world, another normal day.

To Inspector Gadget, it also felt like a normal day – except that he had kept his other set of memories from his life before the time line had changed the future, and now he felt like he had lived two lifetimes:

He had considered erasing the other past, wiping out his old battles with Sanford when he had been a villain named Claw. He had also considered erasing all memory of the fact that in the other time line, the love of his life had been Bess Nightingale. But he couldn't bear to wipe out a past that only he could recall, even though new memories burned brighter of his changed past and his new life, in a future where Sanford had never become Claw.

As he drove home in the Gadget Mobile, dusk was already approaching fast, sending streaks of shade across an amber sunset.

He thought again about the other timeline – there, he had become a cyborg because of an explosion, being injured in the line of duty. In this altered future, he had been the victim of a car accident.

But both time lines had seen him destined to become Inspector Gadget, Riverton's first crime fighting, seventy percent cyborg law enforcer.

He knew he couldn't look back with regret – in the other life his battles with Claw had seen him terribly wounded and damaged more than once, life had been a constant battle in many ways, but here, in this time line, he guessed he had little to complain about.

The fact that he had been sick because of the original cybernetic fluid formula was something that would have inevitably happened in both timelines, and if becoming a cyborg and conquering a serious illness were the only traumas he had to face in this lifetime, he was grateful for it – and for the fact that here he was with Brenda, and most of all, they had a child together. Megan was seventeen, yet he could recall every moment of her life.

It was as if the new time line had slid easily into his memory bank, shining brighter than the slightly faded, out of place recollections of the other past.

"That was another easy, crime-free day in Riverton!" the Gadget Mobile announced.

The dark streaks were lengthening across the sunset now, as if a painted sky was bleeding.

"When did Felix Todd move to Riverton?" he asked.

The face on the screen looked up at him in surprise.

"When he decided to stay on because he got together with Bess Nightingale!" What do you keep asking me about the past for, G Man? Is your memory functioning okay?"

Gadget laughed at the car's remark.

"If only you knew," he replied, "Yes, Gadget Mobile, it's functioning well – a little _too_ well, I guess..."

"What does _that_ mean?"

Gadget kept his hands on the wheel as he glanced back at the screen.

"When did Sanford Scolex sell his robotics business?"

"Are you testing _my_ memory?" the car replied, "I know the answer – in 2000. I think he was glad to get shot of it after the Robo Gadget fiasco!"

"The what?" Gadget asked, feeling sure he knew the answer, but his newly ordered memory still needed prompting, even though it had been several weeks since he had returned to a changed future.

The car explained:

"Robo Gadget was commissioned to be your back up. But something went wrong with his programming and he almost burned down half the town!"

The memory fell into place at once. It was just like in the old timeline:

"And I deactivated him by throwing his head in the river. The head was found a while back and Dr Kramer attached it to a new android body. And now he's living with Kramer and engaged to Robo Brenda?"

"You know that, you went to their party three weeks ago and Sanford got so drunk we had to lay him in the back and drive him home because he threw up all over himself!"

"Oh yes...so he did," Gadget replied, recalling how some things had not changed in either time line – Sanford was still shy in social situations, drank way too much at parties and often had be carried home, the party at Kramer's house had been no exception, and Penny had been furious with him for throwing up all over his suit...

"Robo Brenda's pregnant," he recalled.

"And Sanford told you the baby was actually Kramer's – even though Kramer swore him to secrecy! That's what booze does to that guy; he can't keep his mouth shut about anything!"

"Oh yes, I remember," Gadget replied, "Someone should talk to Robo Gadget about the facts of life. Robo Gadget thinks the baby is his, even though she was already pregnant when they got together!"

"That someone is Kramer," the Gadget Mobile replied, "He needs to explain a thing or two before Robo Gadget finds out and gets mad over it because he can't process information properly in that water damaged head of his –"

"It's none of our business," Gadget reminded the car, "We should keep out of it."

"Are you done with the questions about the past now?" the car wondered.

They were driving past fields bathed in a fading glow as dusk shifted closer, and Gadget turned and looked across them, past the barley towards shining metal gates and an elegant silver wall that seemed to shimmer as the sinking sun bounced off it.

He recalled when Megan was a little girl, she used to call it a fairy castle.

_It was actually Steel Temple, the first ever cemetery for android and cybernetically modified people. _

He looked back at the road, feeling uncomfortable at the memory still fresh in his mind of how he had considered buying a plot over there - and then decided he wasn't about to plan for death, because he wasn't through with living yet...

The worst part of living in the altered timeline was the memory of being full of radioactive implants, and then going through a long wait to find out if the bone marrow transplant had been a success.

It didn't matter that Brenda reminded him often that his leukemia had been cybernetic toxin specific, that the radiation had destroyed the disease along with the toxins that had caused it, and after the success of the transplant, it was impossible for the condition to recur - Gadget knew these facts but every time he had a glitch, every time he got a slight malfunction or a physical ache, fear shot through him like ice, turning him from a confident man into a nervous wreck in a matter of seconds.

_It had been a shock_. He had known about the risk from the first formula since his early days as a cyborg, and he had not considered that risk would ever become a reality, until it happened.

"Don't start again," the car said, recognizing the troubled look in his eyes.

"Stop what?" Gadget replied as they neared home.

"Worrying!"

"I try not to," Gadget said, and then fell silent as he recalled Megan had taken the news of his illness badly, she had never stopped worrying since, she still worried about him even though he was cured now.

"I don't like Megan getting so anxious about me," he said to the Gadget Mobile.

The car pulled up outside the beach house.

"Maybe if _you _stopped worrying about yourself, _she_ might stop worrying about you!" the car replied.

"I guess you're right," he said, and then he switched off the engine, got out of the car and went into the house, and the Gadget Mobile settled down for a nap, snoring heavily.

* * *

Gadget took off his trench coat and hat, hung them up in the usual place in the hall and walked into the front room.

Megan was just ending a phone call as she sat on the sofa by the window, and by the look in her eyes as she said a fond goodbye he guessed she had been talking with Riley Scolex.

"Where's your Mom?" he asked her, and as he spoke, Gadget rubbed at his aching elbow.

Megan got up from the sofa and looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"What's the matter with your arm?"

He felt guilt as well as rising anxiety as he wondered the same thing; it had been aching all day on and off, feeling as if something was catching and grinding when he bent his elbow. He had immediately thought about human to cybernetic connections and possible weakening caused by problems with his blood and cybernetic fluid balance – remembering he was cured made no difference; all the same, he was scared and he knew it was reflecting in his eyes. The Gadget Mobile was right – he needed to stop worrying, because it made Megan worry too, but not worrying was easier said than done...

"I think I need a plate fixing, it's probably come loose or something."

"Mom's just got in from work, she went to get changed."

"I'd better see what she makes of this," Gadget replied, and he rubbed at his sore arm again and walked out of the room.

Megan stood there alone for a moment, and then as a flicker of fear ran through her, she hurried after her Dad.

As Gadget went into the bedroom, Brenda had just put on a bathrobe and her hair was still damp from the shower.

She gave Gadget a hug and leaned in for a kiss, but then caught the worried look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Hopefully nothing."

Gadget had broken out into a sweat and his hands trembled as he began to unbutton his shirt.

"There's something wrong with my arm, it hurts at the elbow..."

As he stripped off his shirt, he avoided making eye contact with Megan, who was hovering at the doorway, watching with a worried look on her face.

"Gadget, it's nothing to worry about, it's probably just something minor I can fix right now with my portable tool kit."

Brenda slid a box from under the bed, opened it up and took out a small automatic screwdriver.

"_Mom?"_

Brenda heard her daughter's voice and the worry it was filled with, but as Gadget sat on the bed she sat with him and kept her eyes on her work as he extended his arm and she opened the seam that joined his cybernetic skin and began to unscrew a section of plating.

"Dad's fine," she said as she loosened the plate, "Could you go and check the oven, please Megan? I don't want the dinner to burn."

"But I want to see what's wrong with Dad –"

"_Now_, please?"

Brenda glanced up at her daughter, fixing her with the look that said she needed time alone to work, and Megan gave a sigh and walked away from the bedroom.

"She worries too much," Brenda said in a low voice, "And so do you, Gadget...I can see what the problem is."

And she lifted up the plate, revealing two more beneath coiled wires, joined together by a small silver hinge.

"Is it serious?"

She heard fear in his voice, and carefully unscrewed the hinge and lifted it out.

"Don't try and move your arm, I need to find a replacement hinge...I've got some in here somewhere..."

Gadget sat on the bed holding out his arm as he continued to sweat.

"You'd tell me, wouldn't you? I mean, if it was a sign of something going wrong again, something bad..."

Brenda found the part she needed and quietly told him to hold still, and then he watched as she fixed the hinge in place and set the plate back on top and began to secure it.

"You would tell me..." Gadget said again.

Brenda put down the screwdriver and carefully ran her fingertips over the cybernetic skin, sealing it with ease.

Then she looked into the eyes of her husband and smiled.

"Gadget, there's _nothing_ wrong with you! It was just a connecting hinge that had a lot of wear and tear. These things do need replacing after a certain amount of years, they wear out..."

And she placed the small silver hinge in his hand.

"It's just your _age_, honey!" she told him, and fondly kissed his cheek.

_"So it's nothing to worry about?"_

They both turned to see Megan had walked back into the room.

"No, it's fine." Gadget replied, showing her the hinge, "Your old man needed one of his old worn out parts replaced, that's all!"

And Megan smiled.

Then as she stood next to him, she looked thoughtfully at the silver hinge in his hand.

"Is that a _very _old part?"

"It's been in my arm since I was rebuilt as Gadget," he replied,"And that was a long time ago!"

Megan was still looking thoughtfully at the silver hinge.

"So it's safe to keep it?"

"Safe?" Gadget asked.

Megan looked at her mother.

"I mean, does it have a trace of radiation in it from when Dad had the implants?"

"Of course not!" Brenda told her.

"I locked the radiation down with my internal shields," Gadget added, "So I could keep it only where it was needed at the time."

And then he laughed, finally feeling his anxiety slipping away.

"That's why I didn't glow in the dark when I had the implants inside me!"

Megan smiled as she looked at him.

"So it's always been a part of you...Can I keep it?"

Gadget shrugged.

"If you want to."

Megan smiled as she slipped the hinge into her pocket.

"Thanks Dad," she replied.

Megan gave her Dad a hug and then left the room.

She hurried down the hall and went into her own bedroom, where she closed the door, dived on to her bed, grabbed the phone and rolled on to her back, hitting speed dial.

Riley answered the call quickly.

"Hey Megan, what's up?"

"You know you told me Dr Todd did your friend's metallic body art? Does he do it for anyone or was that just a one off?"

"He does metallic tattooing on the quiet, it's just a hobby. But he charges for it. He's good, too. Why?"

Megan smiled as she took the silver hinge from her pocket and studied the scratches and the way the metal had worn away over the years.

"_I want to get one."_

"Why are you whispering?" he asked.

"Because I don't want my parents to know until I've done it! I have a hinge that came out of my Dad's arm today. I want him to melt it down and use it to create my tattoo. I'm going to design it, and I want it to say _Dad_."

"That's a really nice idea," Riley replied, "I guess you could ask him. I'll drive you over to the free hospital tomorrow morning, he's usually up in his lab, maybe you can speak to him about it then."

"Thanks Riley," she replied warmly, "See you tomorrow," and then she ended the call, turned on her side and paused to watch the way the light still caught on the worn hinge.

"_A piece of my Dad, with me forever,"_ she said fondly, and then she put the hinge back in her pocket and went through to the dining room to join her family for dinner.

* * *

The skies were darkening as cemetery keeper Alexandra Turner walked along a pathway, past crypts of shining silver, past graves marked with intricate engravings of cogs and wheels and circuitry. The young woman who walked beside her was sobbing.

"I can't believe someone did this!" she said tearfully, "Why would someone break into a crypt and open up a grave like that? I want the police informed!"

The cemetery keeper stopped in the middle of the pathway, where they were surrounded by shining steel memorials to the android and cyborg dead. Compassion shone in her eyes as she looked at her kindly, her pale but attractive face framed by long fair hair that tumbled to the shoulders of her pale blue dress.

"I can understand your anger," she said gently, "This is a place of rest and no one has the right to disturb the dead."

The young woman blinked away tears and shook her head.

"My husband killed himself when he found out his main system was failing," she said quietly, "Sometimes I think I'd be better off joining him."

Alexandra looked at her thoughtfully.

"But you won't," she told her, "There's a difference – those who _think_ about suicide, who feel there's no way out, who weep and hurt and think about death – and then there's those who see it through. The ones who think of suicide and get a warm, _wonderful_ feeling because for them, it's their _only _salvation. That's not you; I think you're just grieving. Don't worry about the break in, I'll call Riverton Police and report it."

The woman nodded.

"Thank you." she said in a hushed voice.

Alexandra watched as she walked towards the gates, and then she turned away, went back up the path and fixed her gaze on the crypt that had been disturbed:

The coffin had been opened, the android reminds inside had also been disturbed,and a hole cut into the chest. The titanium heart was missing, and now the widow of the deceased was insistent that the police become involved...

Alexandra drew her phone from her pocket and gave a sigh as she called the number.

When it was answered, she began to walk back to the house at the back of the cemetery.

"Hello, Riverton Police? I have a crime to report – a crypt was broken into between last night and today and a titanium heart was removed from a deceased android. There doesn't appear to be any kind of forced entry, I can only assume this is some kind of planned theft, possibly organized, you know you hear these things about gangs stealing parts for the black market – I never thought it would happen here."

She listened as the officer promised to send a squad car, and then she ended the call.

As she reached the house at the back of the cemetery, she turned back, looking over her shoulder, but the dead were resting peacefully and no shadows lurked between the steel monuments. It would be another hour before she would walk back down the path to lock the gates for the night. She lingered for a brief moment, looking back at the silver monuments, and then went inside the house and closed the door.

* * *

As the night grew darker, Gadget lay warm beneath soft covers in the arms of his wife.

Brenda's face was flushed from their lovemaking and as he ran his hands over her body and looked into her eyes, he smiled.

"It's always wonderful," he said softly, "It never stops being wonderful with you."

Brenda shifted closer to him, put her head on his shoulder and ran her hand down the electronic chips in the center of his chest.

"I love you as much as I did the day we first met," she told him.

Gadget pressed his face against her hair, then kissed her cheek and pulled her closer.

"You're the love of my life," he whispered, "I'm so grateful we're still together."

Brenda thoughtfully ran a fingertip around the center microchip set in his chest and looked up at him.

"I remember you said we broke up in the other timeline. So we were both alone, we didn't have anyone else come into our lives?"

Gadget thought about Bess and felt a sting of guilt.

_"No"_ he replied, _"That's why I'm so glad it's worked out differently now."_

Brenda gave a contented sigh as she rested in his arms and began to slide away in to an easy sleep.

Gadget stayed awake long into the night, feeling guilt over his lie, and then silently accessed the saved memories of the other time line, where images of the alternative past ran though his head, reminding him Bess had once been his lover...He wondered again if it would be for the best to erase those memories, but instead he closed his eyes as memories played in his head, and fell asleep as images from the other timeline flitted through his mind.

* * *

When morning came, Gadget was woken by the sound of the shower running as Bess got ready for work.

He checked the time and then remembered he didn't have to be in work until ten that morning – since his illness Quimby had decided to put him on reduced hours, it more an act of kindness that anything else; the Chief was not the kind of man to throw his arms around him and hug him, he hadn't even done that when he heard the transplant had been successful – but he had informed Gadget that, as the town was crime-free, there was no reason why he couldn't return to work on part time hours, and keep his full salary.

Gadget smiled as he thought about it: less work for the same money? _That _was a hug from the Chief...

Bess ran into the room in denim shorts and a yellow sleeveless shirt, she called out _Bye_ to her Mom, and then kissed Gadget's cheek.

"I've got to go, Riley's taking me out."

"Out where?" Gadget asked as he sat up in bed.

"For a drive then shopping, and then coffee...I'll catch you later."

And then she was gone, bolting out the door and off down the hallway in a rush to meet her boyfriend.

Gadget gave a sigh as he hoped those two were going to behave themselves, then he got out of bed.

The phone rang and he picked it up just as Brenda stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel with water dripping from her long red hair.

"Gadget here," he said, and as the caller spoke, Gadget felt rather surprised:

"It's Quimby. I know you have your new hours to work, but this needs to be taken care of _now._ I had a call from Silver Temple Cemetery; someone broke into a grave last night and cut a cybernetic heart from a deceased android."

Gadget shook his head.

"That's disgusting! They just went in and robbed a grave?"

"Well I have a theory. I believe it could be the work of an organized gang – I've heard of this kind of thing happening before, they steal parts to order to sell on the black market."

Gadget felt anger at the thought of such a crime.

"I had no idea that kind of thing could happen in Riverton! It's never happened before!"

"Well there are android and cyborg remains over there – obviously they went for an android body because there's no decay and damage to components that can be caused by the human decay process. They knew what they were looking for. The heart was stolen from a cyborg who ended his life when he found out his main system was failing. _So he ended his life by cutting through both his main cables_."

The mention of severed main cables sent a chill down Gadget's spine as the Chief continued:

"I think this is significant to why that body was selected; there was no damage to the titanium heart. I sent the robotics medical examiner over there and he said that heart had been professionally removed; every single wiring attachment had been taken out clean, leaving nothing behind. And a cybernetic surgical tool was used for the removal, and used with precision. It looks like we have a robotics or cybernetics expert looking to make money on the black market by grave robbing. This has to _stop_, Gadget. That's why I need to hand this case to you."

"Of course, sir. I'll get over there right away."

Gadget ended the call and turned to his wife.

"There's been a grave robbing incident at the cyborg cemetery."

Brenda stared at him.

"Seriously? Oh no, that's beyond sick..."

"Exactly. I have to get over there; the Chief's just given me the case."

And he briefly kissed her, and then headed for the shower, to begin to prepare a start to his working day much earlier than expected.

* * *

Gadget remained silent on his drive over to the cemetery.

As the gates loomed into view and he saw the shining monuments beyond, he recalled again how he had once considered plans for his own funeral and thoughts of mortality hit him hard.

He stopped the car and got out, telling the Gadget Mobile he would be back soon, and entered the grounds of Steel Temple Memorial Cemetery.

As he walked up the main path, he tried not to look too closely at the silver graves. Everything here was cold and shining, a lasting memorial to the android and cyborg dead. As he walked he reminded himself he was glad he was not one of them – he still had a life to live...

As the cemetery keeper met him on the pathway, she smiled sadly.

"Inspector Gadget, thank you for arriving so quickly. This is very distressing, especially for the family of the deceased concerned. We've never had an incident like this before."

Gadget looked into the eyes of the softly spoken, elegant woman with long fair hair who stood before him in a flowing blue dress and he nodded.

"I can image how the family must be feeling. Chief Quimby seems to think it's the work of an organized gang. It's possible; there have been cases before of places like this being broken into and parts being stolen. Or it could have been an individual thief who needed a specific part – they seemed to know what they were looking for."

As they walked up the path together, Alexandra frowned.

"How could they know that?"

"Well if someone wants to steal a part from a dead android, they want to be sure the part they need isn't damaged. In the case of the body they selected, death was caused by slicing through both main cables - it was a suicide. The heart wasn't damaged. I think they knew that, they knew to select that body because it contained a titanium heart in perfect working condition."

They turned a corner and reached a small, square crypt. The door was open and a dim light was on inside.

"This is where it happened," she told him.

Gadget stepped into the crypt, pausing to check the seal on the door, but could see no signs of the lock being tampered with.

"Are these crypts locked at night?"

"All the crypts are locked," she replied as she joined him inside, "I have keys for all of them – but so do the families of the deceased. They can unlock the door and enter the crypt any time during opening hours. In the case of android bodies, we don't seal them in a coffin. The coffin has a lid that can be opened because androids don't decay. That way loved ones can sit beside the deceased, even touch them if they want to. Of course it's not like that with the cyborg deceased, they are in sealed coffins like any other corpse because of the decay factor."

They approached an open coffin on display in the middle of the room.

A sheet was covering the deactivated android, and Alexandra pulled it back.

Gadget looked down at the human – looking robot who lay within the casket; he seemed no older than thirty and his eyes were closed, he looked frozen in time, the only clue to what had happened was the sunken indent at the side of his neck where severed cabling had been removed after death.

Gadget looked down the body, his gaze resting on the plate that had been shifted aside and the hole within that used to house the titanium heart. He frowned as he studied what he could see:

_The cybernetic skin had been peeled back, the plate unscrewed and placed beside him in the coffin. The hole carved into the chest cavity was precise, neat, professional..._

"The Chief sent the cops over last night to dust for prints but they found nothing," Alexandra added.

Gadget nodded.

"I think he's right when he said the person who did it had robotic or cybernetic surgical knowledge. I've been through enough work myself over the years to know what a professional cut into metal looks like."

Gadget took the sheet and covered the dead android once more, then headed for the door, towards the bright sunshine and the smell of fresh air, because he felt too close to death for comfort.

"I'll run a check on all possible suspects and see what I can come up with," he promised her as they left the crypt.

Alexandra closed the door, drew a large keying from her pocket, found the right one and locked the door behind them.

"Thank you Inspector," she said, "I'm grateful for all the help you can offer. I don't want this happening in my cemetery again."

"I suggest you get some security in to patrol at night," Gadget suggested, "Maybe that will be all you need to deter the thieves from striking again. And I'll do all I can to find out who is responsible for this crime, I promise you that."

They began to walk back up the path towards the gates and the closer they got, the more Gadget felt as if he was leaving death behind him.

* * *

Alexandra thanked him once again, and then he got back into the Gadget Mobile and started the engine.

The car fired up at once, the little face on the screen looked up at him and smiled.

"Where to?" it asked brightly.

Gadget sat stiffly in the drivers seat as he loosened his tie and tried to brush away thoughts of how close he had come to being one of those cyborgs in eternal rest at Steel Temple.

"Just get me out of here," he said in a low voice, "Take me back to town – I need to speak with the Chief."

The car took off at speed, heading back to Riverton PD.

* * *

When Gadget arrived at the Chief's office, he knew at once he was in a foul mood by the way he barked _Come in_, on hearing him knock.

Gadget entered the room and closed the door behind him and sat down and looked across the desk at the Chief.

"Sir, I checked it out. And I have to say I'm in serious doubt this is the work of an organized gang."

The Chief blinked. His face began to grow red.

"I've been on the force more years than I can count, Gadget! I _know_ what's happened here!"

"But I saw no evidence to back up your theory. It looked to me like a professional person with expert knowledge selected a titanium heart that was in working order, perhaps watched the crypt, waited for it to be left open and then made their move. Who ever did this has expert knowledge, I think it could even be a cybernetic or robotic expert stealing parts to carry out work for private clients. It _wasn't_ a random theft, nor was it a black market gang harvesting parts – they wanted a heart that would still function if it was fitted in to another body."

The Chief gave a sigh of impatience, and then picked up a copy of the Riverton Gazette and he unfolded it, displaying the headline: _Grave robbing at Steel Temple._

"The widow of the deceased went to the local press and they ran it in this morning's edition! This is bad press for Riverton, Gadget!"

Then the Chief slammed the paper down and grabbed a folded piece of paper, unfolded it and his face grew scarlet as his voice darkened.

"And that's not all. We also have a _hoaxer_ on our hands writing _sick_ notes!"

Gadget looked at him.

"Notes?"

"This arrived this morning," Quimby said, handing the note to Gadget, "Obviously someone's idea of a joke! My people have had forensics go over it but all they can come up with is it was written in decayed cybernetic fluid mixed with blood. Fluid from a dead body, a cyborg who's been deceased at least six months."

Gadget felt another chill run down his spine as he studied the flowing handwriting set out in watery red lettering:

'_First the dead, next the living. All parts are good for me. Catch me if you think you're smart enough – Body Snatcher'_

Gadget's face paled. Quimby was still ranting about idiots and hoaxes.

"No sir," he said quietly, "I don't think you should dismiss this. What if this _is_ the thief? He's threatening to take parts from living cyborgs. We could have a maniac on the loose!"

Quimby shook his head as he took the note back from Gadget.

"It's organized crime, it's a gang stealing parts from dead androids...black market crime, that's what it is."

Gadget met his gaze slowly.

"But what if it's _not_, Sir? What if this is one person and that same person wrote this note?"

The Chief shook his head again.

"I really don't want to think about that possibility. But I need you to find out who stole the heart and have them locked up fast," he added, "I don't like the effect this case could have on Riverton. I want the case resolved. Do it as quickly as you can."

Gadget nodded.

"I'll try sir," he replied, and then left the Chief's office, feeling sure Quimby was wrong about his theory of organized grave robbery... he felt it, he _knew_ it by his instinct - this was the work of one person, a dangerous person, who planned to move on to living victims – _this maniac needed to be caught before people started dying..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As Riley's blue sports car pulled up outside the Braydon Free Cybernetics Hospital, he turned off the engine and looked at his girlfriend.

"You're _sure_ you want to do this?"

But Megan jumped out of the car before he had a chance to get out, and then as he got out too she replied with confidence:

_"I don't care if it hurts. I saw how much pain my Dad was in towards the end of his treatment. And besides, I've always thought, I share his flesh and blood but not his metal...now I can."_

"As long as you're sure," Riley added, "Remember, it's for life. It can't be removed."

"I _know_ that."

They began to walk up the steps to the entrance of the building.

"And _don't_ tell your Dad I brought you here!"

She laughed.

"No, I won't give him an excuse to _go go_ _something to kill you with!_"

Then she went inside, and Riley followed.

"Which way?" she wondered.

"Top floor," Riley replied, and they made their way over to the elevator.

* * *

Up on the top floor, in the lab where Dr Felix Todd worked, Taylor Braydon was standing in the middle of the room, looking at a treatment chair with a puzzled look on his face.

He looked again at the strong fixture that held it to the floor, and wondered how it had snapped.

"I don't get it," he said, "_H_ow could it get broken like that?"

And Dr Bess Nightingale, in this timeline the same erotic mix of flesh and metal, whose entire work had been done by Felix, shrugged as she glanced at her lover.

Felix was starting to blush as he recalled restraining Bess while he took her very roughly indeed. _She had gasped as her body shook and he slammed against her and then, something in the chair hand gone crack..._

"I don't know how it happened," Felix replied, "It was like that when I unlocked the lab this morning."

And Bess turned away, trying not to think about her bruised thighs or the way they had both laughed as the chair broke.

"Well," Taylor said, "You can still use it – it just means you can't recline it. I'll get someone in to replace it tomorrow."

"Thanks, Taylor." Felix replied, and Taylor left the lab.

Felix turned to Bess and she laughed again.

"_I can't believe we broke the chair!"_

Disappointment reflected in his eyes as he glanced back at the chair.

"The times I've restrained you in that thing, the places I've injected you with living metal...the smell of your sweat on the leather as I...Oh, I feel like I've just lost an old friend!"

And then he smiled.

"Good thing I've got my private room at home."

And he slid his arms around her waist, pulled her closer and kissed her, then pulled back, holding her in his gaze as he spoke again.

"We can resume that session tonight after work. I've got some _very_ delicate metal work in mind for you...right here..."

Bess caught her breath as his hand slid up her skirt, between her thighs and then higher.

"You might need to call in sick tomorrow," he whispered in her ear, "Like I said, I want _everything_ infused with metal..."

Bess shivered and her eyes darkened with desire. As she looked at him it occurred to her that she never gave much thought to the fact that Felix looked like Inspector Gadget – she knew he had given him a replica of his face when Gadget had become a cyborg, but that was where the similarity ended between the two men - Felix was _nothing_ like Gadget in any other way at all...

She laughed.

"I'm glad Taylor didn't call Inspector Gadget to investigate mystery of the broken chair...can you imagine that?"

He laughed too.

"Gadget certainly wouldn't work out what we'd been getting up to. We once had a very candid talk about sex and kinks over a few beers and he is _not_ like you and me. His idea of kinky is light doctor cyborg-patient role play with his cybernetic surgeon wife. He said it's something to do with being heavily modified, he needs to relive it in a safe and painless way...I don't get all that psychological crap. I say kink is kink and either you like it or you don't."

"And he doesn't!" she agreed.

Felix swept his hands over her head, feeling soft flesh blended with metal as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm looking forward to taking you home tonight, Bess," he said softly, "You _know_ what to expect."

She replied with a kiss and as that kiss deepened, he felt sure he would always be grateful he had come to Riverton to work for Taylor Braydon – otherwise he never would have met Bess, the woman who longed to be modified – and he never would have discovered his own love of the power he felt when she lay back in the chair and submitted her body to more cosmetic procedures. It wasn't what most people called normal, but to them, it was heaven.

"I love you," he said softly to Bess.

"I love you too, honey," she replied, "And thanks for getting me so hot – _how_ am I supposed to get through a working day now?"

And they both laughed.

"I'll see you after work," she added, kissing him fondly, and then she left the lab.

* * *

As the elevator opened at the top floor, Megan and Riley stepped out.

"Are you _really_ sure?" Riley asked her again.

She gave a sigh.

"For the last time Riley, yes, I _want_ to do this! Now, which way is his lab?"

"Straight ahead," Riley replied, and then he stopped walking.

"Oh no, Taylor's coming! You'll have to make an excuse why you're here, he talks to both our Dads all the time!"

Taylor Braydon walked along the corridor and then stopped, smiling a big goofy grin at Gadget's daughter and Sanford's son.

"Hi Riley," he said, and then he looked to Megan, "Hi Margaret!"

She smiled as she shook her head.

"Taylor, my name is Megan."

"I know!" he exclaimed, "Megan is short for Margaret – or is Margaret short for Megan?"

"Neither! I'm just _Megan_," she reminded him again.

"So what you doing here?" he wondered.

And Megan froze, having inherited her Dad's tendency to prefer truth over lies had not made her the greatest or fastest of liars.

Riley Scolex had no problem coming up with a rapid excuse.

"I'm doing a science project about cybernetic plating and replication and I wondered if Dr Todd might be able to give me some advice."

Taylor's eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

"That's great! I'm so glad you're studying cybernetics! Go and see him, I'm sure he'll be able to help you – but if he's a bit mean, don't take it personally. He can be really rude when he's busy."

"I'll be sure to bear that in mind, Taylor," he said, "I'd better go – I can't wait to get started on my project."

"Okay," Taylor replied, "See you later, Riley."

And then he glanced at Megan.

"_Bye Margaret!"_ he said brightly, then went on his way towards his office at the end of the long corridor.

Megan laughed softly.

"He _always_ does that to me! Why can't he understand my name is Megan?"

"Well he isn't exactly the brightest guy in the world," Riley replied, and they walked on, coming to a stop outside a closed door with a nameplate on it that said _Dr F Todd_.

Megan knocked.

"It's open," Felix called out, and she went inside and Riley followed.

As they went into the lab, Riley stood by the door. He looked around at the cybernetic medical tools and the treatment chair in the middle of the room and as the thought ran through his head that he would never, ever want cyborg parts inside his own body, he felt his stomach turn over. He glanced at Megan.

"I think I'd better wait outside." He said quickly, and hurried from the room.

Felix stood there with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat as he looked back at Inspector Gadget's daughter.

"Yes?" he said.

"One minute!" she told him, and went back outside.

Riley was in the corridor leaning against the wall as he took in a deep breath, fighting off a wave of nausea.

"Sorry," he told her, "You know what I'm like for cybernetic stuff. I don't mind the metallic tattooing, I think it looks cool. But it's the_ other_ stuff that creeps me out, when people have wires and pipes and circuits in their bodies. I swear if I ever needed my body replaced, I'd rather die. No offense to your Dad or anyone else who's had it done, I don't mind about other people – it's just the thought of _me _being like that... I feel sick...sorry, Megan..."

"It's okay, I know you don't like all this stuff. Just wait here, I'll go in by myself."

Then she left Riley outside and went back into the lab and closed the door behind her.

* * *

As Megan stood there, she looked at Dr Todd and wondered how to ask for this favor.

"Yes, Megan?" Felix said impatiently, "Do you _finally_ have the time to tell me what you want, because I have some work to be getting on with!"

He sounded irritated.

Megan walked over to him and took in a breath, and began to explain:

"You know my Dad's Inspector Gadget?"

"Bess knows Brenda and we all have a mutual friend in Taylor so yes, our paths do cross, you already know that..."

"Just let me explain, this won't take long..."

He took his hands out of his pockets, checked his watch and then folded his arms as he leaned against a work surface.

"Hurry up, I'm a busy man!"

_"I want a metallic tattoo."_

He looked at her doubtfully.

"There's no way I'm tattooing your boyfriend's name on _any_ part of you, young lady! I won't do relationship tattoos, Metallic art can't be removed like ink."

"That's not what I want, this is about my Dad."

"You Dad?" he wondered.

"Well you know how my Dad was sick a while back –"

"But he's okay now?"

"Yes, he's fine, and that's really why I want to do this. I heard you do metallic tattoos and I want one that says _Dad_, and I want you to melt down this piece of metal and use it for the tattoo."

And she took the hinge out of her pocket and showed it to him.

He took it from her hand and held it up to the light.

"I'll have to mix it with a small amount of new living metal alloy as a base but yes, I can do that... Are you old enough?"

"I'm seventeen."

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"Will you keep quiet about this? Because I don't want it getting around Riverton that a respected cybernetic scientist does metallic tattoo design on the side!"

She nodded.

"I only found out through Riley because he said his friend had a dragon done by you?"

He said nothing as he continued to look at the worn hinge thoughtfully.

"Please," Megan was saying, "I was so scared for him when he was sick. You remember, he needed a bone marrow transplant? And I've always wanted to share more than his flesh and blood, I've always wanted to have some metal too – I'll pay you, if it's too much I can pay it off once a week –"

"This is a connecting hinge," he said, "usually used to join two inner plates in a cybernetic arm."

And he looked at her and his voice softened.

_"This hinge, it's your Dad's, isn't it?"_

"He just had a new one put in."

"So you want a tattoo for him, made out of a part of him?"

She nodded.

Felix went over to his desk and opened a drawer and took out a small photo book and handed it to her.

"Take a look through that – some of my own templates. A few of then have copies already made up to use. See if you like anything in there."

"Thanks," she said, and opened up the book.

Megan began to turn the pages and then she saw a scrolled frame with silver doves poised to hold a name in the middle.

"_I want that one."_

"You're sure?"

She nodded.

"It's exactly what I want - the top of the frame says _Hero_."

She handed the book back to him, and he drew out a template from the back of the original.

"I can do it now if you've got forty minutes to spare."

She looked at him in surprise.

"Right now?"

"If you're sure you want to do it."

"Of course I am!"

Felix nodded.

"Okay, go and sit in the chair. And take your blouse off."

She sat down in the treatment chair and took off her blouse; he turned away as she did that, pausing to lock the door.

"Sorry about locking us in but I could get fired if I get caught doing tattoos on company time."

He took a sheet from under the chair and draped it across her, covering her chest.

"When you show your Dad the tattoo, _don't_ say I did it. I don't care what you say - just _don't_ blame me in case he gets mad over it."

"Okay," she replied, "But I think he'll like it when he understands why."

"I'm sure he will. If I was cyborg and someone did that for me, with a part of my own metal, I think I'd cry!" he exclaimed, then he pulled out the arm rest and laid her arm on it, carefully shifting her upper arm before strapping it in position.

Megan watched as he brought over a small trolley and uncovered the contents.

He lit up a blue flame inside a round container, then lifted the lid and slid the hinge along with a small piece of shining, soft living metal inside a rounded molding device with a heat proof handle. As he closed the container down he checked his watch.

"That takes fifteen minutes," he told her, and then he slid a thin sheet of film off the backing of the template.

"I'll put it here," he said, running a gentle fingertip in a circle on her upper arm.

"That's fine," she agreed, and he applied the template and then pressed it firmly, before peeling it off, leaving an inked outline of the design.

"What happens now?" she wondered.

"Well think it would be better for you if I reclined the chair, but I can't recline it – because it's broken..."

He went over to the cupboards and opened one in the corner and took out a new syringe and a bottle of clear liquid.

"How did the chair get broken?" he heard her say.

He smiled as he took the needle from the wrapper and then slipped it into the bottle, drawing the liquid up into the syringe.

"I can't tell you that."

"Why?"

He watched as the bubble rose to the point of the needle and gave it a flick.

"Because you're _far_ too young to know these things, it's between me and my girlfriend."

On seeing the needle, Megan had felt slightly nervous, but his remark made her laugh.

"Seriously? You and your girlfriend busted the chair?"

He chuckled.

"I'm not saying another word about it. Hold still."

As the needle went in and then Felix pushed it deeper, Megan caught her breath and blinked back tears.

He gave the injection carefully and then drew the needle out again, pausing to place a small piece of gauze briefly over the site of the needle mark.

"Don't worry about your arm going dead, that's supposed to happen. By the way, it's a very effective local – it won't wear off for several hours, so you'd better think up a good excuse to hide it if you don't want to show it to your parents until you can move it properly again."

A creeping cold was spreading through her upper arm, killing all sensation.

"I'm going to give time to work properly and then I'll remove the skin from the design with a scalpel," he told her, "It's going to bleed and it won't be a pretty sight. As I go along I can spray it with a solution to minimize bleeding."

"I'll shut my eyes," she replied.

He nodded.

"Don't open them again until I say it's safe to look," he advised her.

Megan took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I'm ready," she said quietly.

"Okay, I'll start now." he told her.

She heard him pull up a chair and sit beside her, and then she felt his hand beneath her elbow as he repositioned her arm again.

"Can you feel anything now?" he asked.

Her eyes were still closed.

"No..."

"Good," he replied, and then he fell silent as she heard a soft scraping, followed by a burst from a spray bottle and then he continued to work.

"When I've carved you out –"

She laughed.

"I'm not a pumpkin!"

Amusement crept into his voice.

"It just means, when the skin is carved in the pattern – I'll make sure the bleeding's stopped –"

She heard a click as the burner was adjusted and then the sound of the lid being lifted and closed again.

"The metal's ready," he told her, "That can just sit there now until I'm done...when the bleeding's stopped and I'm ready to add the metal, let me know if you want to watch. You have a small amount of living metal alloy mixed in with the hinge, so as soon as the hot metal runs into the wound it will coat and seal it. By the time the local wears off it's completely healed, there's no pain. And the alloy is bacteria resistant too, and instantly spreads to the regular metal and bonds with it, making the whole procedure risk free. "

She heard another burst of the spray.

"I've got a lot of respect for you father," he added, "I remember the day I got the call asking if I'd managed to create a replica face because the cybernetics center needed it. I only had one copy – of my own face – and that's how your Dad ended up looking like me."

She laughed.

"I don't even think about that any more, you're _so_ different to him!"

"That's because we're two different people, we just share the same face... I couldn't be like your Dad, Megan. I'm not a hero. I'm not brave enough to have gone through all the work he did, or to do the job he does. I'd rather stay in one piece and leave the heroics to Inspector Gadget."

He paused, wiping away blood and fluid from the design he had etched into her skin.

"Want to look now?"

"I'm not sure."

"Then you'd better keep your eyes shut. I'm going to load up the heat proof syringe now – this one doesn't have a needle, just a hollow tip that allows me to release the metal into the design."

She heard him open the container and she smiled.

"This is it – I'll have a part of my dad with me always."

"You certainly will."

She suddenly giggled.

"Good thing Riley waited outside! He's really phobic about cybernetics...and he's not too keen on blood, either!"

"I'm just about to add the metal. As soon as I bring it into contact with the wound, it will chase all over it and cover it, making the design. Are you _sure_ you want to miss this?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"_Actually I think I want to watch."_

"You won't regret it," he promised her, "Just turn your head but keep still."

And Megan turned her head, saw the raw pattern glistening on her arm, where the scalpel had scraped away layers of skin to form the outline.

"Ten seconds," He said gently, "Keep watching..."

And then he placed the hollow tip of the syringe a fraction from the corner of the tattoo, and slowly pushed out the liquid metal. It sat in a silver ball at the corner of the design, and then began to run like mercury, chasing all over the raw skin, covering it and filling it in until the whole design was coated.

Megan gave a gasp and then she looked up at Felix in surprise.

"_That was amazing!"_

He smiled.

"Just don't move yet, it takes a couple of minutes to settle in. "

And he hit the design with a burst of cold water, and then gently dried her arm with a towel.

"Like it?" he asked her.

She looked down at the tattoo made of living metal, a scrolled frame and in its center two doves held the word _Dad._

On the upper part of the frame, the scrolled pattern looped together, forming the word _Hero_.

She sat forward in the chair and pushed down the sheet and Felix handed her back her blouse.

He held her arm, helping her to dress, then he helped her from the chair and she laughed again.

"I never realized how difficult life could be with one arm!"

"You'll get the feeling back by this evening," he promised, "That's the only painful part of a cybernetic tattoo – the injection to numb area first."

"I heard Taylor Braydon's got a lot of cybernetic body art," she replied.

Felix laughed and shook his head.

"I'm sure he has – but I didn't do any of it. I wouldn't let him know I can do this kind of thing, can you imagine it, he'd never leave me alone!"

Megan cautiously ran her hand down the shimmering design, feeling cool metal joined with her warm skin and smiled.

"Thank you so much Dr Todd!" she said, and hugged him tightly.

He stepped back from her embrace and smiled back at her.

"I don't usually do metallic work on anyone as young as you are – Riley's friend who had the dragon was in his twenties. If anyone else your age had asked me for something so permanent, I would have said no. But when I knew it was your father's metal I couldn't say no. I must be getting soft hearted. And I meant what I said – I've got a lot of admiration for your father."

"Thank you," she said again, "This means so much to me. How much do I owe you for it?"

Felix shook his head.

"Have that one on the house – purely because you're Gadget's daughter. I was honored to create such a tribute to him."

"You're not charging me? Thanks, but I could have paid –"

"I just hope your parents don't go up the wall over it!" he remarked as he unlocked the door.

"They'll understand," she told him, "Eventually, I know they will."

And then she walked away, towards Riley Scolex, who was leaning against the wall looking like he wanted to throw up.

Felix thought again about how determined Megan had been to have the tattoo made from her cyborg father's old worn out hinge, and as he walked back into the lab and closed the door, his eyes misted up with tears and he blinked to clear them as he laughed softly and shook his head.

"I'm _definitely _getting soft!" he exclaimed, and then he turned his attentions back to work, but even as he worked, he still felt sure that it would be a long while until someone asking for a tattoo would touch his heart in quite the way that Megan had.

* * *

As they walked back to the car, Megan ran her hand down the silver that blended seamlessly with her own flesh.

Riley took another look at it, and then he smiled.

"I think your Dad will love it. Maybe not at first, but he will grow to love it."

"Are you feeling okay now?" she wondered as they got back into the car.

Riley took in a deep breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine now I'm out of that place. Don't get me wrong, I love your tattoo – it's a wonderful tribute to your father. It's just the whole cybernetics thing, people being fitted with machinery. It gives me the creeps. I don't mean when I think of other people doing it, just not _me_ doing it. I felt sick just walking in that place. I have a living will drawn up, just in case something happens to me. _I've said I'll never consent to cybernetic treatment, even if it's life or death._"

And he started up the car and pulled away from the building, as Megan turned her head and stared at him in shock.

"You would _never_ consider cybernetic treatment?"

"No," he replied, "And like I said, it's just about me personally. I don't feel sick at the thought of other people doing it, but I have made my own choice on the issue. It's just not for me."

As they drove, Megan fell silent as she thought over all he had said.

They turned on to the long road that led along the coast towards the beach house, and finally Megan spoke up again.

"Riley, you _know _I'm really sensitive about people being anti cyborg."

He looked at her sharply.

"What? I'm not anti anyone, Megan!"

"Watch the road," she reminded him, and she looked away again.

As he turned his attention back to the road, he was wondering what he had done to upset her so much. Then it began to dawn on him that she was feeling very emotional, and to say he didn't like the thought of cybernetic parts was probably too much to hear...

"Forget I said it. You want me to get a metallic tattoo? I'll do it. I might throw up and pass out, but I'll do it. I'd do anything for you."

The road ahead was clear.

He glanced at Megan.

"You want me to get cybernetic parts? You want me to do something that proves I'm not anti cyborg? I'd go against my own personal preferences just to make you happy!"

Then he looked back at the road as they grew closer to the beach house. Riley had taken the long way home, and the next turn led to the highway into Riverton Town. He wondered if she just wanted to be alone now.

"Want me to take you home, or shall we go into town?"

"Take me home!"

"Okay I'll do that," he replied, silently wondering how he could ever make it up to her, because the words he had already said could not be taken back.

* * *

The Steel Temple Cemetery was shiny in the mid day sunlight, here the paths were clear and the leaves on the trees were as green as the grass that separated the monuments. Here and there flowers grew, and on the monuments that had vases, mourners had left flowers, some had left bouquets of steel roses, complete with thorns. It had come about in recent years for the mourning of a cyborg or android death to be marked by the laying of metal roses on the grave, sometimes after the mourner had gripped the steel thorns so hard they were bloodied by the time the bouquet was laid upon the grave.

Bloody steel roses were a common sight here; just as common as they were also the symbol in android and cyborg love affairs of heartbreak.

But the visitor who wandered along the pathway disregarded such sights, instead walking towards the turn in the path that led to a secluded area, where several crypts stood close together.

High heels clicked on the concrete as she walked, she was mostly obscured by a long black hooded cloak. She ran a manicured hand along the steel walls of the crypts, pausing when she reached the unlocked door at the end of the row. Here the ivy had grown wild and there was a withered bouquet of real flowers, left many weeks before. She kicked them aside as she entered the crypt and jammed an ordinary screwdriver into the closed casket, forcing the mechanism to spring back.

She turned her face to the light that shone through the open doorway, glancing up at the pathway and the cemetery owner's house as she listened, but heard nothing but the wind passing through, shaking leaves gently.

She slammed a bag on to the closed half of the flat lid, opened the bag up and took out a laser powered metal cutting device, switched it on and tugged at the android's shirt, opening it up to reveal exposed metal plating.

The cutter fired up, emitting a red glow as she cut a neat circle and removed the panel.

Then the cutting device was switched off and she shoved it back in the bag and grabbed small wire cutters.

She cut three wires and drew out a large fuse and placed it in the bag, before closing up the bag again.

Then she stood up, her face in shadow as the hood remained heavy over her face.

She turned to leave but then looked back at the dead android.

_There was something about his face that reminded her of someone very dear to her heart..._

She leaned over the android, studying his face, and then she ran her hand over it, feeling the cold steel beneath cybernetic flesh that no longer imitated body temperature.

_"Sorry,"_ she whispered as her voice echoed back at her in the steel chamber, then she leaned over the dead android and planted a gentle kiss on his lips, and then she stepped back; his face reminded her too much of the one she had lost, the one who would live again...

"I will bring you back to life," she said aloud, "You will see this world again..."

And she hoped her dead love would hear her words, as she turned from the corpse who reminded her of her loss and drew a bottle of decaying blood from her pocket.

She stood in shadow as the liquid poured on to her finger tips, then she began to slide her fingers over the smooth surface of the wall, leaving a message:

_Next time a cyborg._

Then she capped the bottle, placed it in the bag and walked out of the crypt. A group of mourners were coming up the north path, so she took the east way that led to the side exit, where she hurried off into the wood that surrounded the cemetery, vanishing into shadows.

* * *

It was almost five in the afternoon when Gadget got home from work.

He had spent the day running through files and searching for possible suspects – but anyone with robotic and or cybernetic surgical skills made his task difficult – Riverton boasted the biggest collection of cybernetic and robotic industries in the whole of the world. It had been the birthplace of cybernetics – the list of suspects was long, _if_ every expert was to be considered a possible suspect...

Gadget was looking forward to getting home and spending some time with his family.

Life had been different in the other timeline, just like in this one, Penny was grown up and married to Sanford, he had Bess in his life in the other time, but no children. But here, all those years with Brenda, and the fact that he also had Megan, made such a difference. He needed to be with his family, even if he was working on a case that was difficult to crack.

It was the lack of clues that made it so difficult – _no prints, no leads at all... not even a motive._

The beach house was in sight now.

"Are you still thinking about the case, G Man?" the car asked.

"No, I'm leaving work behind me," he replied, "I need some family time."

"Sounds good to me!" the car agreed, and turned into the drive and parked beside the beach house.

Gadget got out and went up to the front door and unlocked it.

"Brenda?" he called out, but got no reply and guessed she had not yet left work, she often worked until six in the evening most nights.

Gadget took off his hat and coat and walked down the hall, and then he heard a sound.

He paused, wondering if Brain had got himself locked in the kitchen again and was scratching at the door.

Then he remembered the dog lived with Penny mainly, and wasn't here right now...

"Brenda?" he called again, feeling a flicker of concern.

Then as he went further down the hall he heard a sob, and realized it was coming from his daughter's room.

"Megan?" he said in alarm, extending his hand before he even reached the door, pushing it open and then hurrying in as his hand snapped back in place at the wrist.

His daughter was sitting on her bed with the phone beside her as she wiped her eyes.

_"I had a fight with Riley,"_ she said tearfully.

Gadget sat beside her and drew her into his arms, holding her tightly as she gave another sob.

It was then he felt his anger rising.

"I don't care that Sanford's my best friend, you wait till I get my hands on his son!"

She pulled away from him and blinked tearful eyes.

"No Dad, it wasn't like that –"

"I know _exactly_ what Riley Scolex is like!" he said angrily, "What did he do, cheat on you with another girl?"

"NO!" she insisted, "It wasn't like that –"

"You don't have to explain," Gadget replied, "I know what he's like, honey, he's no good!"

She wiped her eyes and looked at her father.

"Dad, _listen_ to me! It wasn't Riley - it was me! I told him to get out of my life because of what he said!"

Gadget looked at her intently.

"What did he say?" he demanded, and she shook her head.

"Oh Dad, _stop_ being so over protective! He hasn't done anything wrong – it was me; he said he never wanted cybernetic mods as long as he lived, not even if his life depended on it! So I asked him to take me back home and when he asked if he could see me again I said, _leave me alone!_"

Gadget stared at her.

"You broke up over his personal opinion on cybernetics? Why? It's up to him, Megan! He doesn't have to want mods to be with you!"

She shook her head.

"You're a cyborg. I'm proud that you're a cyborg. It means a lot to me. You know how I feel about that, I agree with Taylor Braydon, I think cyborgs and androids are a race and should be recognized as such!"

Gadget gave a weary sigh as he recalled his daughter had very passionate opinions on the _cyborgs as a race_ idea...

"Oh honey you know I don't pay any attention to those views! A cyborg is a human being with machine parts. An android is a sentient robotic person. That's how I see it."

She looked at him in surprise.

"But Dad, you're a seventy percent cyborg!"

"I'll tell you what I am, Megan – I'm Inspector Gadget, a cop. I'm also husband to Brenda and father to you. That's _all_ I need to be."

He reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Stop crying over a stupid quarrel. You can't make Riley pro cybernetics, and he doesn't have to be. Why don't you call him tomorrow and sort this out?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe," she replied, and Gadget smiled, noticing the way she glanced at the phone and then looked away from it as if she wished Riley would make the first move and hurry up and call her.

And then as she looked at her father, Megan decided now would be as good a time as any to show him what she had done.

"Dad," she began, I need to tell you something."

Gadget looked at her.

"You can tell me anything, honey."

"Don't get mad," she said cautiously, "I'm seventeen and I needed to do this..."

And she slipped off the blouse she was wearing, leaving just a sleeveless t shirt on.

"_I had a metallic tattoo."_

As she turned her arm, he caught a flash of silver forever etched into his daughter's skin, and one glance was enough to fire up his anger.

He stared at her in disbelief.

"Those things are impossible to remove!"

"I know that, I wanted one, it meant a lot to me – just take a look at it –"

She stood up and so did Gadget, he turned away from the tattoo, not wanting to know what it looked like as his anger rose again.

"_How could you do something so stupid? Have you got any idea how mad your Mom will be over this?"_

Megan blinked back tears.

"But I thought you'd like it! If you look at it, if you listen to me, you'll understand –"

Gadget glared at her.

"Oh I think I understand! I haven't been a detective all these years and failed to spot clues! You get a tattoo and Riley doesn't like it so you break up with him, what did you get, _I love Riley Scolex?_ Is that what's melted into your arm forever?"

"No, if you just look at it, if you listen –"

"Oh no Megan, _you_ listen to _me_," Gadget said angrily, "You're seventeen, you shouldn't have got something so permanent at your age! Who did it, who was the idiot who gave you a metallic tattoo?"

Her eyes widened.

"It was Dr Todd, but if you listen Dad, I _can_ explain –"

His blue eyes fired up brighter than the fire that burst from the Gadget Mobile's rockets at top speed.

_"Felix Todd?"_ he repeated, recalling the stories he had heard about Felix and Bess and their kinky sex life and how Felix got off on giving Bess cybernetic mods...he also knew he had a private sideline as a metallic tattooist – Gadget wondered, did he get off on tattooing his clients?

_"The dirty bastard...I'll kill him!"_ he said darkly, and turned away, stormed up the hallway and paused only to snatch up his coat and hat, before slamming the front door.

"_Dad, wait!"_ Megan yelled, "It wasn't like that, _please_ wait up!"

But as she reached the front door, she knew she was too late – her Dad had already left, the Gadget Mobile had shot out of the drive, igniting rockets as it became like a speeding blur as the car headed for the open road.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_The phone was ringing._

Gadget ignored it as the car sped towards its destination.

"Maybe you should answer that," suggested the Gadget Mobile.

He kept his steel gaze fixed on the road as he snatched up the call.

"Gadget here."

"There's been another one," Quimby said, "Some mourners went to visit a crypt and noticed the one beside it was wide open and a body had been disturbed. Another android corpse – and the thief left a warning, _Next time a cyborg._"

"I still think this is the work of one person," Gadget replied, "And it all points to that letter being from the thief."

"Or maybe it's just a trick to confuse us," Quimby added, "As I said before, there's profit to be made on parts traded on the black market."

Gadget had no time for this conversation. It was clear Chief Quimby had his own opinion on the Body Snatcher and nothing was going to sway it.

The Free Hospital was in sight now.

"Any prints found at the scene?" Gadget asked.

"Same as before, nothing. The casket was forced open by a blunt instrument, the body had a hole carved in the chest cavity and a main fuse and some essential wiring associated with the connection was taken out. But they left no clues behind."

"What about the message?"

There was a pause.

"Written on the wall in cybernetic blood. It _does_ match up to the same blood used in the letter."

Then the Chief paused again, cleared his throat and added:

"So you were right about the letter not being a hoax. But I _still _maintain it's to throw us off the scent – this is the work of a black market gang harvesting parts."

It was clear the Chief was still clinging to his own theory, and Gadget had no time tell him otherwise.

"I'll get over there as soon as I can," he replied sharply, and ended the call as the Gadget Mobile screeched to a halt.

Then Gadget leapt from the car, clearing the door and landing on the other side, before racing up the steps and into the building, in search of the man who had tattooed Megan.

* * *

Brenda arrived home just before five thirty and opened the front door and walked in with a smile on her face, planning to sneak up on Gadget and slip her arms around him as she fondly kissed him - but Gadget was not home, she knew it instantly by the absence of his coat and hat that were usually hung up in the hallway.

Then Megan stepped out from the front room and looked at her tearfully.

_"Mom, I'm so sorry, I messed up!"_ she said, and gave a sob.

Brenda put her arms around her daughter, let her cry for a moment and then made a guess.

"Did you break up with Riley?"

_"Riley's not even the worst part, Dad's mad at me and he's going to kill Dr Todd, and it wasn't his fault, he didn't do anything wrong!"_

Brenda stepped back and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders as she looked into her eyes.

"Okay, take a deep breath and tell me what's happened."

Megan took that deep breath, then she told her mother everything:

"I wanted to have a part of Dad that would last forever, because he's my Dad and I love him so much...so I took the old hinge that came out of his arm and I went to Dr Todd because I heard he did cybernetic tattooing, and I got this."

She turned slightly, showing her mother the design on her upper arm.

Brenda stared at it, and then she studied the intricate scroll work that said _Hero_ and the word _Dad _within the frame.

As she looked at the tattoo, she fell silent and Megan began to worry.

"I wanted a part of my Dad with me, I wanted metal from his cyborg plating...it says _Hero_, he _is_ a hero, he's my Dad."

Brenda's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Megan..."

"Please don't be mad at me!"

Brenda's voice softened.

"I'm not, I wasn't expecting you to do something like this, but it's a beautiful gesture, honey. And you had it made from a piece of him? That's so special, of _course_ I'm not mad!"

"But Dad is! He hasn't even seen it, he just saw a glimpse of the metal work and went crazy over it! He stormed out of the house and said he's going to kill Dr Todd!"

"_Oh no he's not!"_ Brenda replied, grabbing her phone and calling Gadget's number.

As it rang she looked at her worried daughter.

"It's okay, honey," she said, "Your Dad won't do anything stupid – I'll talk to him!"

But the ringing phone was suddenly diverted, and Brenda's voice hardened as she left him a message:

"Gadget, you'd better get back home and take a look at this beautiful tattoo – Felix hasn't done anything for you to get angry about – don't you _dare_ pick a fight!"

And then she hung up,and looked back at her daughter.

"He'll listen to me," she said, "At least, I _hope_ he will..."

* * *

Gadget had not received Brenda's message because he had seen _HOME_ flash up on the screen and switched his phone off, and then continued to walk towards the office of Dr Todd, while he felt like his blood and cybernetic fluids were reaching boiling point.

He didn't bother to knock, instead opening the door and extending a hand, shooting it from the wrist and grabbing Felix by the throat as he prepared to leave work for the day, slamming him up against the wall and holding him there as his extended arm shortened as he got closer, until he was face to face with him, his hand was back at his wrist and Felix was struggling and terrified as he looked into the eyes of the angry cyborg who had pinned him against the wall.

"I think I know what this is about...please let go, I can explain!"

Gadget's eyes blazed with fury.

_"Explain? I think I know what happened here..."_

And he tightened his grip and slammed him against the wall a second time as Felix coughed and gasped for air.

"My daughter wants a tattoo, so she comes to you...and then what? You got off on working on her? Did you think she would trust you just because we share the same face? Did you talk her into it so you could enjoy her discomfort, having this young girl strapped into your treatment chair?"

And Gadget let go of him.

Felix took in another breath and looked at him fearfully.

"It wasn't like that – I admire you, Gadget! Why should I say no when she wanted to do that? It's a beautiful tattoo –"

A sharp punch to the side of his jaw knocked him sideways, he grabbed at the table to break his fall, then staggered back as he regained his balance and blood ran from his split lip.

"Didn't she explain?" he said in a shaking voice, "Didn't you _see_ it?"

Gadget lunged at him again, slamming him up against the wall as Bess yelled at him to stop.

Hearing her voice and recalling the other timeline was enough to snap him out of his rage.

He let go of Felix and turned around.

Bess was standing in the doorway, looking a vision of shimmering flesh and metal, and her eyes were wide with shock.

"_Get your hands off him, Inspector Gadget!" _she yelled, _"Leave him alone!" _

And as she walked over to him and put her arm around her boyfriend, Gadget stared at her.

"_He tattooed my daughter!" _

"You _didn't_ have to hit him for it!"

Felix drew his hand away from his bleeding mouth and looked at Gadget.

"She did it for you!"

Gadget felt confused now.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"You haven't even _seen_ it, have you?"

As Felix looked back at him Gadget shook his head.

Then another person spoke up.

"_Okay, whatever's happened here, it ends now! I won't have fighting in my building!"_

They all turned to see Taylor Braydon had just walked into the lab, flanked by two security guards.

He stared at Felix and then looked to Gadget.

"Did you hit him? Why did you do that?"

"Long story," Gadget replied, "But he deserved it!"

Felix briefly put his hand to his bleeding mouth again, and then turned to Taylor.

"I do cybernetic tattooing. It's a hobby. His daughter wanted one."

Taylor's eyes lit up.

"Cool! You'll have to show me your designs..."

And Felix gave a sigh of despair.

"Taylor, I haven't done anything wrong, I just gave the girl a tattoo. Then Gadget comes in here and assaults me for it!"

He looked to Gadget and then to Felix, then he glanced at the security guards and told them they could leave.

Then Taylor walked over to Gadget and Felix. He glanced at Bess, who was still beside her lover.

"Did you see what happened?"

"I saw Gadget slam him up against a wall!" she replied.

Taylor fixed the two men with a disapproving look.

"Okay, it stops now!" he insisted, "No more fights! Gadget, your daughter is old enough to have a cybernetic tattoo if she wants one. What did she have?"

And Gadget shook his head and looked at Dr Todd.

"You don't even know what it looks like!" Felix replied, "You'll understand when you see it!"

"_I doubt it,"_ Gadget said in a low voice as anger began to creep back into his eyes.

Taylor stepped between them.

"I said, this stops _now!_ No fighting in my building, I won't have it, do you both understand?"

Gadget slowly nodded.

Taylor looked at Felix.

"I wasn't even fighting!" he protested, "He started it, he came in and grabbed hold of me and –"

"_Enough!" _Taylor said sharply.

Then he looked at the two men, deciding on what to do next.

"You're lucky I didn't call the cops! I don't care that you're my employee, Felix – or that you're a good friend, Gadget – I _won't _have this kind of behavior in my building and there's no exception to that! Do you both understand?"

Gadget nodded.

"But _he _started it!" Felix said, and Taylor looked at him intently.

"No, it doesn't matter who started it. What matters is the fact that I won't tolerate this again! _Now hug_."

They both stared at Taylor.

"_What?"_ Gadget said.

"I'm not hugging him, why should I?" Felix exclaimed.

Taylor smiled.

"Because a hug makes everything better! Come on guys, let's cuddle..."

And Taylor reached for them both, pulling them in close. Felix gave a whimper as his split lip was pressed against Taylor's jacket, and Gadget froze as Taylor gave him a squeeze.

As he let them both go, he smiled a big goofy grin.

"That's better, isn't it?"

Gadget straightened his hat and stepped back, glancing briefly at Taylor.

"I'm leaving," he said quietly, and walked out of the lab.

Taylor watched as Bess put her arm around Felix and asked if he was okay.

Felix nodded.

"He just doesn't get why she did it, when she sees it, he'll understand."

"So you're okay now?" Taylor asked.

"I'll live," Felix replied, and then Taylor watched as the two of them left the lab together.

As he stood there alone he thought about what had just happened and shook his head.

"Gadget and Felix fighting?" he said aloud, "I thought they were friends!"

And then he walked out of the lab, still thinking about the fight as he closed the door and completely missed the fact that Felix had forgotten to lock the lab before leaving.

* * *

Gadget got back into his car and started the engine.

As he gripped the wheel and took in a deep breath, the face on the screen looked up at him.

"What happened in there, G Man? You look like you want to hit someone!"

"I just did." he replied, "Don't ask me about it. Just take me over to Steel Temple Cemetery, the Chief said there's been another grave robbery."

The car gathered speed and they drove off in the direction of the cemetery.

The Gadget Mobile remained quiet for most of the journey, but eventually Gadget looked down at the screen and saw the computerized face looking up at him intently and he knew the car wanted answers.

"I hit Felix Todd because he gave Megan a tattoo, now you know, so don't ask me anything else!"

The face flipped over twice.

"You hit him? _Why?_ What was wrong with the tattoo?"

"I just didn't want my daughter having a cybernetic procedure at her age without asking me! And I don't even know what it looks like, I saw a glimpse of metal on her arm and that was enough for me!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have hit him," the car suggested, "Perhaps you should go home and talk to Megan about it."

Gadget gave a sigh.

"I guess you're right. I don't know all the facts, I just lost my temper."

"Sometimes, things are _not_ as they seem at first glance," the Gadget Mobile reminded him, "You shouldn't have been so quick to judge."

On hearing those words, it began to dawn on him that perhaps the car was right – Felix had been insistent that he would understand if he talked to Megan...

"I will talk to her when I get home. But I have to go over to the cemetery first; Quimby needs me to check out the crime scene."

"We're almost there now!" the car announced, turning on to the road that led to the gates of the cemetery.

As those gates loomed nearer, Gadget thought again about the day he had felt so low he had almost given up on the fight to stay alive as he considered the seriousness of his illness and wondered if it was time to think about a final resting place.

Mortality was something he had rarely thought about in this altered timeline, where there had been no Claw and bitter battles that left him wounded. He had accepted his new life as a cyborg and been happy with it, secure with Brenda and Megan and confident in the knowledge that he was Riverton's greatest detective. Brenda had always warned that one day, there could be consequences of the first cybernetic fluid formula, the one that contained so many dangerous toxins – but time had gone by without incident and Gadget had pushed those fears to the back of his mind, until the day she had broken the news that he was sick because of it and the shock had hit him so hard, he had felt for a while as if he was outside of himself looking in, because this couldn't be happening...

It made no difference that he was cured now, he felt as if death had tapped him on the shoulder to remind him that even a seventy percent cyborg was still human, still vulnerable...

He shoved those thoughts aside as he parked the car and got out and walked through the gates of the cemetery, focusing only on the fact that he was here to investigate a crime scene, and when that was done, he had to go home and speak to his daughter and quite possibly apologize, too...

* * *

The shades of dusk that were starting to cover the sinking sun threw shadows about a place that was usually bright; darkness loomed between monuments as Gadget made his way up the central path, heading for the cemetery keeper's house.

As he walked, he caught sight of a shadow that shrank back sharply on the turn in the path that led towards a row of crypts.

Gadget paused, silently using his in-built technology to listen and amplify sound. He heard two footsteps, switched off the amplifier and darted around the corner, ready to face who ever lurked in the shadows.

As the blade of a knife shot up glinting silver, he raised his arm, smashing into his assailant, sending the knife clattering against a steel wall as he extended both hands, grabbed the attacker and dragged them closer, until his hands were rejoined at the wrists and he was facing a terrified woman who gasped in shock as he held her in an iron grip.

She looked up at him, her frightened face framed by a cascade of fair hair.

"Inspector? I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you!" said Alexandra, and as he let go of her, the shaken cemetery keeper took in a couple of unsteady breaths.

Gadget immediately reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry too – did I hurt you?"

She ran her fingers through her fair hair and shook her head.

"No...I was on my way down to wait for you at the gates, and then I saw a shadow, I heard someone...I never used to be scared of this place, but now..."

She blinked back tears, "I don't feel safe with what's happening, I've seen what thief did to the bodies and it's terrible! I saw the writing too, on the wall in the crypt – _Next time a cyborg?_ Does that mean they want to start on human bodies too? It's horrible..."

And she put her hand to her mouth as she stifled a sob.

Gadget put his arm around her.

"Don't worry, you're safe now – no one's going to scare you while I'm around!" he said reassuringly, and led her away from the crypts and towards the house.

* * *

As Bess Nightingale sat at home on the sofa with Felix and tried to clean his split lip, he jerked away from her.

"Leave it alone."

"Just let me clean you up, you look like you've been in a bar fight!"

Felix turned his head, putting his hand to his neck as the bruising to his jaw began to spread downwards, and as he met his lover's gaze, sadness reflected in his eyes.

"There was nothing wrong with what I did; Gadget's daughter wanted a metallic tattoo that said _Dad_! She's old enough to do it, I did a good job with it, too! He didn't even look at it, he just heard I'd tattooed her and went up the wall over it!"

Bess gently rubbed his back and spoke softly to him.

"It's not like you to get so upset."

His eyes were tearful as he looked at her.

"Me and Gadget go back a long way, I was the one who fitted his new face! And since I moved to Riverton, I've thought of him as a friend. We've always got along so well, I even went over to his house when I heard he was sick and reminded him I was there for him, I got tested to see if I could be his donor, too – how could he hate me so much for giving Megan a metallic tattoo?"

"I guess he's just doing what most Dads would do, trying to protect his little girl."

"But she's seventeen, and she wasn't scared to have that tattoo - it meant a lot to her, she wanted a part of him with her, she even asked me to mix the alloy with an old hinge he'd had replaced, it was all about her doing something special because she loves him, why can't he see that?"

"I guess because he got mad and didn't stop to think," Bess replied.

Then she shifted closer, hugging him as her voice softened.

"I don't often see you get so upset. Try to forget about it, let go of it - I'm sure he'll come to his senses and apologize, he's an honest guy - he'll soon call you to say he knows he was wrong. I'm so sorry this happened, honey."

"So am I," Felix said quietly, and Bess hugged him as he thought of Gadget and wondered how their friendship could have turned so bad so quickly.

* * *

Gadget sat in the floral patterned front room of the cemetery keeper's house and she smiled as she placed two coffees on the table and then sat down on the sofa beside him.

"Thanks for being so understanding," she said softly, "I've been carrying a knife to walk through the cemetery in the evening ever since the first theft. I mean, it's the thought of it – someone's disturbed enough to break into graves and steal from corpses? I've seen those bodies Inspector...cut open, parts gone..."

She shook her head in dismay.

"It's just too horrific to think about."

And her hand shook as she sipped her coffee and then placed the cup on the table again.

"I'll be sure to take a look at the crypt before I leave," he promised her.

"The cops who checked the crypt said it was the same as before – no evidence left behind. They can't even lift a print from the blood on the wall because of the way the writing was done."

And then she thought about it, taking in a sharp breath as shock registered in her eyes.

"Oh no...What if he doesn't mean a dead cyborg? What if he means a living person?"

"Who?" Gadget asked her, "You said he, who do you mean?"

"The thief, of course! It's got to be a man – I can't imagine a woman doing something like this!"

"Quimby seems to think it could be the work of an organized gang," Gadget replied, "But I'm not so convinced. I think this is some acting alone. I just haven't figured out what their motive is yet. But I definitely need to see that second crypt. What was the circumstances of the death of the deceased, do you know?"

She nodded.

"An accident. He was involved in a high speed car crash, had crush injuries that severed the cybernetic spine."

"And a main fuse was removed from the body?"

"Yes, that's what I was told – a main fuse that's usually found to the right of the chest cavity – an essential part in both androids and heavily modified cyborgs. The upper body was undamaged, the fuse would have been reusable. But why would someone do that?"

He looked at her, thinking many thoughts he didn't care to share with the nervous woman.

"The thief has taken main components. Unfortunately, until they strike again, we won't be able to figure out the motive. If there's no more thefts, maybe the parts were stolen to order or perhaps someone out there is desperate for cybernetic parts to be replaced – but I doubt if anyone would resort to stealing to replace their own worn out parts, even if they can't afford to buy new ones, there's a free hospital in the center of town, so that blows that theory out of the water. It's like pieces of as a puzzle, until more parts go missing, we don't know what this could be about."

She thought about it for a moment, and when she replied, her voice was hushed.

"You have to wait for this to happen again?"

"Unfortunately we don't have a lot to go on," he admitted, "It is largely a waiting game to see what the thief's next move is. But please don't go around the cemetery armed with a knife – I know you want to stay safe, but I only disarmed you because I knew how to do it. _Someone else might have taken it off you and stabbed you with it._"

She nodded again.

"I'm sorry, Inspector. But like I said, I have to lock up the gates at night and when evening falls you can never tell who might be lurking in the shadows."

"You might want to think about gates you can operate from the house," he suggested, "Then you won't have to leave the house and walk through the cemetery at the end of the day. And get some CCTV installed, it might help to deter the thief."

"Is that all?" she asked him, "You're Inspector Gadget, I thought you could solve _any_ crime!"

"Any crime with enough clues," he reminded her, "But I'm sure the thief will make a mistake soon enough, people always do, that's how they get caught."

"I hope they do get caught," she replied, "It makes me so angry to think of the dead being disturbed like that. I take pride in caring for this cemetery."

Gadget got up from his seat.

"I'd better take a look at that crypt."

She got up too, and paused to briefly put her hand on his arm.

"Inspector..."

"Yes?"

"Thanks again for looking after me," she said, smiling shyly, "I feel a _lot_ safer to think you're in charge of this investigation."

And her gaze lingered on his as she blushed slightly, studying his face and then his broad shoulders as her gaze lowered for a moment.

Gadget smiled politely, wishing he had not been assigned this case – Alexandra was an attractive woman, but he was happily married – and he couldn't even enjoy her attention as mere flattery when he was in the middle of a cemetery, reminded constantly of his own close brush with death...

"Like I said, I need to take a look at the crime scene," he reminded her.

"Of course, I'll show you the way," she replied, and he followed her out of the house.

* * *

As they left the garden pathway and stepped out into the cemetery, Gadget turned up the collar of his trench coat and hoped the shiver he had just felt pass through his cyborg body hadn't been noticed, as he looked around at the darkening gloom and felt sure he had never before got the feeling so very strongly that he was surrounded by death...

They began to walk up the main path, towards the turn that led to the crypts.

"It can be a little unsettling here after dark, if you're not used to it," Alexandra remarked, "But these days, even I get affected by it...I just hope you can catch the person who did this."

And she led him over to the crypt that was unlocked. The door was wide open and she reached inside and activated a switch, bathing the room in a harsh light that seemed too bright, too capable of showing every garish detail as he took in the sight of the corpse with the opened chest and the writing on the wall threatening, _Next time a cyborg._

Gadget stepped closer to the coffin and glanced at the hole carved into the chest of the corpse. One look was enough and he turned away as Alexandra covered the open wound and closed the lid once more.

He fixed his gaze on the writing on the wall.

Then thought about it, studied the lettering, thought some more, and then stepped outside, where the sun was dim and dusk was gathering, but at least the path led out of there and back to the world of the living.

Alexandra finished up inside and left the crypt, turning off the light, closing the door and securing it.

"Thank you for your time, Inspector." She said politely.

Gadget smiled.

"As I said, I'll do all I can to catch the person responsible for these crimes. Be sure to think about what I said, about getting an automatic lock for the gate and some CCTV."

And then he turned to walk away.

_"Inspector..."_

Gadget turned back, wishing he could just break the conversation and get out of the cemetery and go home, but instead he decided to allow her a little more of his time.

"Before you leave," Alexandra said, "There's something I'd like to show you."

Gadget followed her through a clearing past the crypts, down a narrow pathway shaded by yew trees, hoping this path would lead to a much needed clue.

_His decision to follow her was swiftly regretted._

The path led to a large, open crypt that was far more grand in design than the others he had seen, the entrance was supported by columns and the wide open doors led into a vast white room with a polished marble floor.

She stood in the open doorway and turned on a light.

"All I see is a brand new crypt," he remarked.

She looked at him hopefully.

"The person who had it built decided eventually to have an alternative resting place, so we've been left with a very fine crypt that's now for sale."

She looked at him.

Gadget looked back at her.

_"For sale?"_

"I recall when you were ill you made inquiries about a resting place here and I wondered if you might want to think about this one – in years to come, it would make a fine family monument."

_Gadget drew in a breath but little air reached his lungs as he recalled sitting in Brenda's office while she tearfully broke the news to him that he needed a bone marrow transplant. He could still recall the cold fear that swept over him, how hard it had been to speak as he asked his wife if he was going to die._

_He also recalled Megan sobbing uncontrollably as she clung to him, then Brenda blaming herself as she told him she was the one who put the first ever formula for cybernetic fluid into his body, and now felt responsible for his illness..._

It all hit him at once and all he could think about was getting back to the Gadget Mobile and driving far away from the cemetery, far from Alexandra and her suggestions that were touching on a subject he could no longer bear to think about.

"Inspector?" she said, "Are you all right?"

Gadget loosened his tie and tried not to breathe too quickly, knowing shallow breaths would only make it worse - he remembered that from the days when he had been so very ill and panic had hit him so easily.

"I was very sick less than two years ago, I'm okay now but I _really_ don't want to think about death," he replied, "Sorry, I'm _not_ interested..."

Her eyes widened as she realized she had touched a raw nerve.

"I'm so sorry, Inspector – I didn't think..."

"No need to apologize," Gadget said politely, hoping the sweat that was soaking through his clothing wasn't noticeable on his face, "And I really have to go now, I need to go and file a report on the robbery."

"Thank you for stopping by," she told him, but he turned away sharply and hurried off, past the trees and the monuments, reaching the path, then he kept going, thinking only about putting one foot in front of the other until he finally reached the gates.

Gadget was shaking and sweating as he got into the car and started up the engine.

The Gadget Mobile's screen lit up at once.

"What's wrong, Gadget?" asked the car.

Gadget's hands were on the wheel, but he was still trying to take in slow breaths as he felt as if his human and metal bones had all been violently rattled.

"Nothing, I'm just tired. Let's go home. You can drive, Gadget Mobile."

"Okay," the car replied, "You sit back and relax."

Then the car pulled away from the cemetery gates and Gadget said nothing as he focused on getting his breathing under control while the car headed for home.

* * *

Brenda had tried Gadget's phone several times, and still got no reply. Eventually she had sat down in the front room with her daughter while she spoke kindly to her, explaining that she was sure everything would be just fine when Gadget got home, because he needed to see the tattoo, and then she was certain he would understand.

And Megan said very little in reply, except that she hoped her Dad hadn't hit Dr Todd too hard...

When they finally heard the front door open and close again, Megan made a move to get up, but as Brenda sat beside her, she touched her daughter's hand and quietly told her to stay put.

Then she turned towards the open door and spoke aloud:

"Gadget, could you _not_ do that again, honey? I don't like you turning your phone off on me."

Then she waited, guessing he was taking off his coat and hat and hanging them up in the hall.

"Did you hear me? I was trying to reach you," she added, "I hope you haven't done anything stupid!"

Then Gadget walked into the room.

He stood there and looked at his wife and daughter apologetically.

"I had a bit of a fight with Dr Todd... I'm not proud of it."

Brenda stared at him.

"Did you hit him?"

Gadget avoided her gaze as he sat down in his favorite arm chair.

"Gadget?" Brenda's voice hardened, "_Did_ you hit him?"

Finally, Gadget looked across the coffee table at his family.

"I was mad as hell when I went to the lab. I _did_ hit him - not too hard – but Taylor Braydon broke it up. And maybe I over reacted, but –"

"No!" Brenda said sharply, "No more excuses! You hit him and that was wrong. Take a look at what your daughter did for you!"

Gadget's eyes widened.

"For me?"

"Yes," Brenda replied, "For _you_, for her father!"

And Megan turned her arm towards him.

Gadget saw the scrolled frame that said _Hero_ and the word _Dad_ inside it.

"She used your broken hinge mixed with alloy to make the tattoo," Brenda told him, "Because she loves you and she wants a part of you with her always!"

Gadget blinked away tears. He got up from his seat and walked over to the sofa, where Megan look up at him as the metallic tattoo shimmered as it caught the light.

"You did that for _me?_"

She nodded.

"Why?" he said as emotion choked his voice.

"Because I love you," she told him, and as she stood up he hugged her tightly as tears ran down his face.

"I'm so sorry I didn't listen," he said as he held her, "That's a beautiful thing you did – I do understand now, I wish I'd listened to you..."

And as he let go of her, he looked at Brenda, ready to apologize all over again, but the look in her eyes had softened now.

"I think you ought to apologize to Felix," she reminded him, "He told Megan he only did the tattoo because he thinks so highly of you, and he thought it was such a wonderful gesture. He had the right reasons for going along with it."

Gadget nodded.

"I'll call him now."

And he took his phone from his pocket and called his number.

But the phone went straight to voice mail and Gadget hung up.

"His phones off. Maybe I should go over to the house and say sorry, it's still early, he's bound to be up –"

"Leave it, Gadget!" Brenda exclaimed, "You _hit_ the guy –"

"Not very hard!" he protested.

Brenda gave him a knowing look.

"One of your iron fist cyborg punches? You _must_ have drawn blood!"

And guilt reflected in Gadget's eyes as he recalled the sharp blow that had split his lip.

"I _did_ hit him pretty hard. I busted his lip."

"So he's hurting! His phones off, he's probably gone to bed early. Go over to the lab in the morning and talk to him, clear the air."

Gadget gave a heavy sigh.

"I'll do that," he promised, "I know I made a mistake and I need to tell him that. He's been a good friend to me, I feel really bad about this."

And for a brief time, thoughts of the Body Snatcher case left his mind as he thought instead about the huge mistake he had made by jumping to the wrong conclusion and hitting a friend.

Megan caught the worried look that clouded his eyes and spoke up again.

"Dad, are you still mad at me?"

Gadget shook his head.

"No, "he replied softly as he looked at the metallic tattoo and emotion swept over him, "I'm not mad at anyone. I think the tattoo is wonderful and it means a lot to me that you decided to do that."

"And you're going to tell Felix that?" Brenda wondered.

"Of course I will," Gadget promised her, "I'll go over to the lab first thing in the morning and tell him how sorry I am."

And then Gadget gave his daughter another hug, and felt a huge sense of relief to see Brenda no longer had anger in her eyes as she looked at him.

Gadget spent the rest of the evening with his family, cherishing their company and trying to make amends for the big mistake he had made because he had failed to listen to Megan. He thought only of his family, shutting out all other concerns, even the case he was working on. _And he was unaware that the Body Snatcher was about to strike again, and this time, would claim a living victim..._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Gadget woke up early the next morning and as he recalled the events of the day before, he felt regret all over again. Brenda was still sleeping when he got up and quietly began to get ready to start his day much earlier than usual.

By the time he was dressed and ready to leave, the sun was rising.

He didn't kiss Brenda because he didn't want to wake her, and as he passed Megan's partly open door he saw she was also sleeping, she was on her side and the fresh metallic tattoo was catching the morning sunlight.

He looked at the tattoo for a moment and felt deeply sorry that he had failed to listen, and gone off and started a fight the way he had. _The Gadget Mobile had been right – he should not have been so quick to judge, because the situation had been very different to the one he had first imagined._

He was starting to wonder if two sets of memories, of this time line and the other, were having an emotional impact – perhaps he was only so over protective towards Megan because he could recall a life in the other time line when he had no kids of his own – and perhaps he wouldn't feel so emotional around Bess Nightingale if he didn't recall another life where they had been together...

He guessed no one was supposed to be walking around recalling two lifetimes; perhaps that was why Sanford only carried one set of memories despite his dabbling with time.

Gadget wondered if maybe he was cheating the way the universe was supposed to run by storing the other set of memories – now he recalled both timelines, two very different lives, and if he was honest with himself, sometimes that mix of emotion was confusing, upsetting. He knew he ought to erase the files stored in his memory bank that no longer belonged in this altered future, but he still couldn't let go because he knew everything contained within had once been true, even if now those memories haunted him like ghostly recollections that only served to pull at his heart strings, often in a painful way...

Gadget left the house and closed the door quietly, then got into the Gadget Mobile and started up the engine.

As the face on the screen looked up at him, Gadget's eyes were full of regret.

"You were right," he admitted, "I should have listened to Megan. I need to get over to Dr Todd's house and apologize."

"I couldn't agree more!" the car exclaimed, and pulled out of its usual parking space and headed for the open road, while Gadget thought about Felix and hoped he would accept his sincere apology.

Then the car phone rang.

"What now?" Gadget complained, snatching it up impatiently.

"This is Chief Quimby," the Chief informed him abruptly, using his full title as if to remind him he did _not_ take kindly to being snapped at.

"Sorry, sir, I was just on my way to work –"

_"Good, because I need you to come over to my office and pick up your new trainee."_

Quimby's words had thrown him into confusion.

"Trainee?"

"You remember, a while back you told Dr Kramer you would train Robo Gadget, just to show him the basics of the job...I personally don't think he'll ever be the kind of crime fighting material you're made of, but if I give him a desk job in the office at the end of it, I think everyone will be happy. There's been so much sympathy about his water damage, and giving him another chance – I can't say no. We both know he's slow and dare I say it, quite possibly a risk, mainly to himself because he's so impulsive – _but in this age of political correctness, if I turn down an android with a mild disability, my name will be shi –_"

"I get your point, sir," Gadget replied, guessing that in this altered timeline, he had still, somewhere along the way, agreed to take Robo Gadget on as a trainee.

"Be at my office by nine," Quimby added.

Gadget checked his watch.

It was just gone eight in the morning and he had plenty of time to catch Felix before he left for work.

"I'll be there at nine, sir. But I wouldn't recommend involving Robo Gadget in the Body Snatcher case."

"Don't be ridiculous!" the Chief said dismissively, "His involvement will consist of helping you in any way he can – in his case, most likely filing some paperwork and making the coffee. Kramer told me he makes _great_ coffee."

And the Chief laughed.

Gadget shook his head as he kept his opinion silent – Robo Gadget was a water damaged android, classified as a robotic person with the same rights as the average human being, yet the Chief was making light of the fact that he was also classified as disabled because of the water damage...

"I fully intend to give him the best possible chance of getting something positive out of working with me," he replied.

"You'll certainly get some great coffee!" the Chief said, and then he laughed again, and ended the call.

"What's up, Gadget?" the car asked as they turned into the street where Felix lived.

He shook his head.

"The Chief's attitude really stinks, he's hated Robo Gadget since the day he malfunctioned and took this town apart, now he's got the water damage too he's treating him like an idiot!"

"I must admit, I'm not sure what to make of him," the car replied, "But he's been rebuilt and repaired, so he should be functioning okay now. A little bit of water damage doesn't have to stop him doing his best, I heard he really wants to be a cop!"

"I know he does," he replied, and then the car came to a halt outside Dr Todd's house.

"_No fighting!"_ The car reminded him as he got out.

"Fighting is the _last _thing on my mind, "Gadget replied, and he opened the gate and walked up the path and knocked on the front door, then waited as he carefully chose the words he wanted to say when he saw Felix again.

* * *

As the door opened he was confronted by Bess, who looked at him angrily.

"You've got a nerve to come over here!" she fumed, "How could you treat my partner like that? Felix has been a good friend to you – and you don't know how upset he is to think you could turn on him like that!"

Her frosty tone and distinct lack of fondness in her eyes was a sharp reminder that he was _definitely_ in the altered future, and any memory he held of him and Bess as lovers belonged in a past that now only existed as a spare copy in his memory bank...

"I'm aware I made a mistake, I spoke to Megan and she explained everything and I'm truly sorry. That's why I'm here, I need to say that to Felix, I can't leave it any longer. I tried to call last night but his phone was off."

"You just missed him," she replied, "He left for work fifteen minutes ago. He's got a lot to do at the lab and he wanted to make an early start."

"Then I'd better get over there and speak to him."

"So you should," Bess agreed, and then she closed the door again.

Gadget turned away from the house and walked back to the car, feeling hurt by the look he had seen in her eyes as Bess had spoken so accusingly. He got back into the Gadget Mobile and drove away, his thoughts still fixed on making things right between him and Felix.

* * *

Felix had left early to get the lab straightened out before the broken chair was replaced, he had planned to move some paperwork into his office so that he could continue working without being distracted by the noise of the repairs going on.

But as he approached the open door, he wondered why it wasn't locked – then recalled the fight with Gadget and how fast he had left without making his usual checks...

Felix heard a noise and looked up the corridor, unsure where the sound had come from. The corridor was empty but he felt a breeze shifting through from the open fire escape. Another sound reached him, and he looked left and right again, wishing he had waited until this place was open and had full security cover. He had been one of the first in the building, just as the night shift staff were leaving and the day staff were coming on duty. There was no one up here on the top floor yet – at least, no one was _supposed_ to be up here yet...

He reached out and cautiously pushed the door.

"Hello?" he said , seeing the lab in semi-gloom with the shades drawn closed and no lights on.

Then he stood still in the doorway, realizing that he had _not_ switched the lights off or closed the shades, either...

The emergency button was a fraction from his reach, and would easily summon security, who could be there in a matter of minutes...

Felix took another step into the room, caught his breath as a shadowy figure darted along the far wall, then he heard a clatter, the sound of equipment being moved..._was this a robbery?_

He snapped on the light and was confronted by a hooded figure in a long cape who had just shoved handfuls of cybernetic surgical equipment into a heavy bag.

"Oh no, you're not stealing from _my_ lab!" he yelled in anger, and lunged at the thief, colliding hard with the stranger as they fell to the floor struggling. The bag hit the floor and spilled open, Felix rolled on top of the robber and grabbed at the hood of the cloak, ripping it back.

Then he stared into the face of a fragile looking woman, whose eyes blazed with fury.

As he stared at her, she reached for a heavy tool from the spilled bag and dashed it sharply against his temple.

There was a crack and blood spurted from the wound, he fell limp on top of her and she struggled to get up, pulling down her hood with bloody hands as she shoved the tools back into the bag, then got up, half slipping in the dark pool of blood that was spreading from his head wound, before making for the door and then running down the corridor towards the fire exit.

* * *

Gadget arrived at the Braydon Free Hospital after a fast drive, keen to make up for his mistake the day before.

He parked the Gadget Mobile and got out and went up the steps to the entrance, walked inside and headed for the elevator.

As he pressed the button and waited for the doors to open he felt sure that once he had apologized, Felix would understand. The two of them had been good friends and he didn't want to think one bad mistake would be all it took to wreck that friendship.

The doors opened and he stepped inside, just in time to see Bess Nightingale enter the building. He was about to call to her and hold the door so she could share the elevator, but instead she walked up to the main desk with a stack of paperwork, so he let the door go and as it closed, he hit the button for the top floor.

The elevator began to climb and as he thought of Felix, his guilt weighed heavy, he thought again about what the Gadget Mobile had said – yes, he _had_ been too quick to judge. He had always considered himself a fair person, who did _not_ jump to the wrong conclusions...but this time, he had been wrong and the consequences had turned ugly...

The doors opened and he stepped out at the top floor and began to walk towards the lab.

The corridor was empty, silent; he got the strangest sensation of a prickle on the back of his neck as he got closer to the open door to the lab and noticed something reflecting on the shiny floor.

Gadget paused, looked down and saw scarlet spots dotted along the floor, at first one here and there, but many more near the door that led into the lab. He frowned, thinking about the fact that this was a cybernetics hospital and it was possible some blood and cybernetic fluid had accidentally been spilled in transit, perhaps no one had been available to clean it up yet.

But then he leaned over and briefly dipped his finger in the small crimson pool, as he straightened up again and watched as it shone thickly red on his fingertip, he started to feel concerned;_ this was human blood, it was too thick and red to be anything but human, because blood mixed with cybernetic formula was weaker, more like a pale pink water color..._

He drew in a slow breath and walked on, around the blood spots that shone brightly as the over head lighting glared down, and went through the open door way into the lab.

The shades were closed. but the lab was bathed in bright light, making the pool of blood seem stark against it as it ran across the floor. Felix was on his side, motionless and pale as he continued to bleed from a serious head wound.

Gadget reached out and hit the emergency button.

As the alarm screeched, he sank to his knees beside Felix, shock blurring his training in these situations as he wondered if he ought to try and move him or not.

He felt for a pulse, and then checked his airway.

Dr Todd was breathing but unresponsive as he called his name. Gadget wanted to move him but knew he couldn't risk it; he had suffered a heavy blow to the side of his head, splitting skin and shattering bone. He could see small fragments of bone amid the blood that ran from his wound, and as he looked down at him, he wished he had been able to get here in time to stop this from happening.

"I'm sorry," Gadget said quietly, "I'm so sorry, Felix..."

"_Step away from him, Inspector."_

Gadget looked up to see armed security had entered the room, and they were training their weapons on him.

He got up and raised his hands, feeling stunned to think he could be a suspect...

"He was like this when I found him!" he insisted.

As Taylor Braydon hurried into the lab followed by Bess, she gave a gasp of shock and then fell to her knees beside Felix as she began to inspect his wound.

"No... You _didn't _do this..."

Taylor's voice was hushed as he looked at Gadget and noticed a bloodstain on his fingertips.

_"You had a fight with him yesterday!"_

Gadget lowered his hands and indicated to the camera on the wall.

"It's all on tape, check it out, you'll see it wasn't me, I only just got here!"

Then he spoke to the guards.

"Put your guns away, you _know_ who I am!"

Taylor gestured to the guards to lower their weapons.

Medical staff were rushing in to treat Dr Todd and Gadget stepped away, giving them the room they needed to work as Bess sobbed and clung to his hand.

"I swear," he said as he looked to Bess, "He was like this when I walked in, _I'm_ the one who raised the alarm!"

"All the same, I think it's best of we wait for the cops," Taylor replied, and he saw the hurt look in Gadget's eyes at once.

"I'm sorry, but I have to call the cops before you leave," he told him, "And when they get here, I'll personally look at the CCTV."

Gadget turned back to Bess.

She was shaking as she helped assist staff to get his airway open and get a tube into him.

"Oh no," she said tearfully. "I don't think he's going to make it..."

Taylor looked to a nurse who had been assisting.

"Call the cybernetics center and ask Dr Bradford to come over here, she's a specialist, I think we might need her."

As the nurse hurried from the room, Gadget watched in shock as the staff fought to stabilize Felix.

"I'll check out that security tape," he said to the guards, then indicated to Gadget.

_"Watch him."_

Gadget looked pleadingly at Taylor.

"It wasn't me."

"All I know is, you guys had a nasty fight yesterday. Then I come in here and find him with his head smashed in, what am I supposed to think?"

Gadget's eyes widened.

"You _really _think I'd do this?"

Taylor shook his head.

"No," he said honestly, "But I owe it to Felix to establish the facts, so I can hand everything over to the cops when they get here. Now I'm going to check out that tape."

And then Taylor left the room while Gadget stood in the lab, looking on helplessly as medical staff fought to keep Felix alive.

* * *

The blood was still wet on the floor of the lab, it was congealing and beginning to give off a smell that Gadget could only liken to every other bloody crime scene he had ever visited – the smell of blood was distinctive, and also as it dried, sickening.

As Quimby entered the room he walked around the bloody pool on the floor and over to Gadget.

"Taylor Braydon showed me the tape. I'm sorry you had to be detained here, but you were the first on the scene and after thealtercation you had yesterday with Dr Todd...well, I'm glad we stuck to the rules. The attacker is seen clearly on tape – they broke into steal equipment and Dr Todd confronted them, they fought, and he was hit with a blunt object. Unfortunately, we don't get to see a lot of the attacker – they were wearing a hooded cape. It looks at one point right before he's hit that Felix managed to pull the hood back and see the thief's face – but they're fighting on the floor and he's on top of the thief, so that's all we know."

"Can I see the tape?" Gadget asked.

The Chief nodded.

"I've got a copy in Taylor Braydon's office, come with me – you might notice something we missed."

And they walked out of the lab, away from the bloody floor and a stink that made him think of death.

* * *

As they made their way closer to Taylor's office, Gadget thought about Felix again.

"I came over to apologize," he said, "We had a stupid fight and it was all my fault. I just wanted to tell him I was sorry."

"You may never get the chance," Quimby replied, "Your wife's here, she came straight over from the cybernetics center and she's taken a look at his scan results. It's not looking good, she said he's got a severe head injury."

Gadget had no time to reply as they walked into Taylor's office.

Taylor was at his desk looking pale and shaken as his wife Emma placed a steaming coffee in front of him and then briefly put her arm around his shoulder.

"It's okay," she said gently, "It's over now, the cops will sort this out."

Taylor blinked back tears.

"But Felix worked for me, he's a friend, too..."

Emma gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I'll be in my office if you need me," she reminded him, and then left the room.

Taylor looked at Gadget as he sat down and apologized at once.

"I'm so sorry I had to treat you like a suspect, but I've got a policy, Gadget – if there's an assault, if it's serious – no one leaves until the cops show up."

Gadget nodded.

"And that's a sensible way to run things, Taylor. I don't take it personally."

"I'm glad to hear it," Taylor replied, and turned the screen around on his desk, showing the security recording.

Gadget watched as Felix turned on a light, and then shouted at the thief.

What happened next was rapid; Felix grabbed the thief, who struggled as they hit the ground. Then they rolled and Felix had his back to the camera as he tried to unmask the thief, who grabbed a heavy tool from the open bag and smashed it against the side of his head. The assailant moved like a blur, snatching up the scattered tools and shoving them into the bag before fleeing the scene.

"That's all we've got," Quimby said.

"Do you know what was stolen?" Gadget asked.

Taylor shrugged.

"I know," Quimby said gravely, "I had a member of staff check the lab for missing equipment and it's been confirmed the thief took surgical tools, enough to open up their own operating room. Tools specifically used for cybernetic surgery."

And he turned his head, meeting Gadget's gaze.

"You were right," he said in a low voice, "This isn't the work of a gang harvesting parts, this is something else. The message said, _Next time a cyborg_. I think," And he pointed to the blurred figure frozen in the lab doorway on the tape, "I think that's the Body Snatcher. _And if he's planning to go after a living cyborg, he's now got all the equipment he needs to do it._"

Taylor drew in a sharp breath and blinked frightened eyes.

"What? Someone's going around hacking up cyborgs?"

Quimby gave a weary sigh as he shook his head in despair; the very last thing he needed was Taylor Braydon putting that kind of message about, it would cause panic...

"We don't know for sure," Gadget replied, "Please, don't share your conclusion with anyone else. We do _not_ want to scare people. Just let _us_ work on the theories, Taylor."

And Taylor slowly nodded.

"Okay," he said quietly, "I won't say anything. This is best left to the cops...but you will catch him, right?"

He looked hopefully at Gadget, who nodded.

"You can be sure we will," he promised, hoping his word was enough to put him at ease once more, "It won't be long before the person who assaulted Felix is off the streets and behind bars. We're doing all we can to catch this guy, and we _will_ keep working on it."

"Good," Taylor replied, "I _know _I can count on you, Gadget."

And he removed the copy of the security tape and handed it to Quimby.

"I'm sorry there's not much to go on," he added.

"Any evidence is better than none," the Chief replied, "Thanks for your help, Taylor."

Then Gadget and the Chief rose from their seats and left the office together.

* * *

As the elevator opened, he stepped out in a trench coat that was a little too big and he looked left and right, blinked dark eyes that glittered with excitement and smiled, showing large teeth.

_"It's my first case!"_ Robo Gadget announced, _"I'm so excited!"_

And then he strode off in the direction of the crime scene, clumsily stumbling on a rug, but quickly regaining his balance, and then he made his way down a long corridor, towards a door that was guarded by cops and sealed off with tape.

As he reached the doorway, a cop stepped in front of the tape and shook his head.

"Sorry Robo Gadget, this is a case for the Inspector – _not_ you."

"But I'm training to be a cop!" he said excitedly, "Chief Quimby said today's the day I start work with Inspector Gadget!"

"Unless I hear that from the Inspector or the Chief, I can't let you - Hey – _stop that_ –"

Robo Gadget gave him another firm nudge, lifted the tape and stepped into the lab.

His big teeth looked dazzling as he smiled, rubbed his hands together and surveyed the crime scene.

"Now... where do I start?" he said aloud.

And he took another step forward, slipped in the pool of blood, skidded, and struggled to stay upright and crashed against a table, catching hold of it to break what would have been a messy fall.

He looked down at the blood, now smeared all over the floor and stuck to his shoes.

"Oops..." he said, and then he saw Gadget and the Chief standing in the doorway. Gadget was staring at him and Quimby's face was flushed scarlet.

"_GET OUT OF THERE YOU IDIOT!"_ Quimby fumed, and Robo Gadget hurried towards the door, partly slipping again as he left a trail of bloody footprints behind him.

He quickly crossed the taped line and looked from Gadget to the Chief.

"I'm sorry, sir – I was keen to get started."

"_You've just disturbed a crime scene!"_ the Chief yelled.

Robo Gadget flinched, stepped back from the Chief and sadness reflected in his dark eyes.

"I was trying to be useful."

_"You wouldn't know how!"_ Quimby replied harshly.

The insult seemed to have missed Robo Gadget by a mile, but as Gadget stood beside his android counterpart, he felt deeply sorry for him. The Chief was talking to him as if his feelings didn't matter - or as if he thought he was too dumb to understand an insult.

That was _not_ the case.

The android's eyes filled with sadness as he looked at the Chief.

"I didn't mean to slip in the blood!" I saw it was shiny, I thought it _looked_ like blood, but I didn't know..."

"It's a _crime_ scene!" Quimby fumed.

"But no one was in there. I figured no one had yet investigated, I wanted to be the first, so _I _could crack the case!"

And he smiled, showing big teeth as his dark but slightly vacant eyes sparkled hopefully.

"How am I doing?" he asked, glancing to Gadget.

"I need you to let _me_ discuss matters with the Chief," he told him, taking his arm and steering him to one side, "Just wait here for me in the corridor, can you do that? I will be just over there talking with Quimby. Please do _not_ interrupt us. Be good, just stand there and wait."

Gadget had tried to be kind, but very clear on his instruction.

"Okay," said Robo Gadget, "I'll wait."

"Good," Gadget replied, "I won't be long."

And then he turned away from Robo Gadget, feeling as if he now had the added burden of being responsible for a vulnerable, water damaged android as well as being given the task of catching the Body Snatcher – not a great combination given the fact that he didn't know how dangerous this case could get...

"Chief, I need to speak with you," Gadget said, lowering his voice.

He glanced back at Robo Gadget, who was further down the corridor, leaning against the wall and staring vacantly whilst doing nothing, and then he turned back to the Chief.

"Sir, I don't think the Body Snatcher case is appropriate for Robo Gadget. I'd much prefer it if you could give him an office job where he can be kept out of harms way."

Quimby stared at him.

"Out of harms way? Are you forgetting that android once ran riot in this town and almost burned us to the ground?"

"But that was _then_, Chief. He's been reprogrammed, Kramer has done a fine job on him, but he can't repair the water damage. And I'm not saying I think Robo Gadget could be dangerous – I'm saying, he could be _in_ danger, because he's vulnerable."

Gadget had spoken sincerely, but the Chief laughed off his remark.

"We both know he's not too bright, never has been, never well be, only ever understood how to cause trouble and now he's got the water damage he understands very little of anything. I'm only giving him this chance of a job to tick the right boxes, Gadget. We both know he will _never_ have a real career in the police force."

Gadget's gaze hardened as he looked back at the Chief.

"Sir, I find that remark offensive. Robo Gadget genuinely wants to do this, he's trying hard, he just started off the wrong way. _Please_ don't write him off because he's got water damage. No one wrote me off after my accident!"

Gadget's remark had surprised him.

"But that's different, Gadget, you're –"

Gadget's eyes narrowed.

"_Normal?_ Sir, you can't label him as unless, he's a functioning android with the same legal rights as everyone else, human and cyborg!"

Quimby nodded.

"Point taken," he said quietly, "But I'll expect a lot if I'm to be impressed with him. I'm going to take this CCTV recording back to the station and see if I can get our tech guys to enhance the quality of the film. Good luck with Robo Gadget."

Then the Chief turned away and walked back up the corridor towards the elevator.

Gadget gave a sigh as he watched him leave, wondering how he could crack this case, catch a dangerous lunatic _and_ take care of Robo Gadget at the same time.

The he turned back and saw Robo Gadget look up at him. The android smiled hopefully.

As he walked over to join him, Gadget couldn't help returning his smile.

"Come on," he said kindly, "I'll take you out to the Gadget Mobile, we can go for a drive."

And they began to walk towards the exit together, as Robo Gadget talked excitedly about how much he wanted to be a cop.

* * *

Riley Scolex was up in his room and when his Dad walked in, he turned his face to the window.

Sanford sat down on the edge of his son's bed and spoke gently to him.

"I don't care what's happened as long as you haven't broken Megan's heart! I was never happy about you seeing her – Gadget's my best friend, and if you break her heart he's going to be angry over it, which puts_ me_ in an awkward position."

Riley turned his head and met his father's gaze.

"It was what I said. I told her, I never want cyborg mods, even if my life depended on it. Maybe I shouldn't have said it on the day she had the tattoo –"

"What tattoo?" Sanford demanded, "What have you talked her into, Riley?"

"Nothing!" he insisted, "It was her idea. She wanted to have a metallic tattoo that said_ Dad_, so she took an old worn out hinge that Gadget had removed and asked Dr Todd to give her the tattoo. I went with her, but not into the lab –"

"He did it on company time?"

"Yeah, but he did a good job. And he didn't charge her because he admires Gadget. But all the while she was in there, I was thinking how I wanted to get out of that place. You know cybernetic stuff gives me the creeps. I can't help how I feel."

Sanford gave a sigh as he shook his head.

"You definitely said too much at the wrong time. Megan had just had metallic tattoo, made out of a cybernetic part of her _own father_ and you told her cybernetics turns your stomach?"

There was a bewildered look in Riley's eyes as he spoke again.

"I didn't mean to upset her, I was just being honest!"

"There's a time to be honest and a time to hold back and the word for knowing the difference is _discretion_!" Sanford told him, "You picked a very bad moment to bring up that subject!"

But his words had little effect, except to bring tears to his son's eyes.

Sanford reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

"I remember the day Gadget – in those days, he was still John Brown – reunited me with you. I remember looking at you and promising to take such good care of you, forever. But you grew up and that's the difficult part – I can't run your life for you, son. I wish I could spare you this kind of heartache, but unfortunately we all learn as we go along. Give her some space, wait a couple of days and then call her, tell her you didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I'm sure she'll understand."

Riley blinked back tears.

"Thanks for the advice, Dad," he said, and as he hugged him, Sanford wished he could do more to help, but knew this was a situation only Riley could resolve. He thought of his own youth and how he had never been lucky in love, and then he felt thankful Penny had come into his life eventually.

"Do you think Megan will take me back?" Riley asked him.

Sanford smiled kindly.

"I hope so," he told him, knowing that was the best advice he could give.

"I'll do that," Riley replied, "I'll give her some space, and then I'll call her, I'll explain." Determination now burned in his eyes replacing sorrow as he added_, "I'll get back with her, I have to – I love her."_

* * *

Brenda had not expected to be called over to the Braydon Hospital because there had been an emergency their staff could not handle – nor had she expected to learn the patient was Dr Todd, or that Gadget had been the first on the scene.

She had wanted to speak with her husband before he left, but after seeing the results of Dr Todd's scans and x-rays, she had known at once she would not be leaving the emergency room any time soon; it had taken a while to stabilize the patient, and now she had the difficult task of breaking bad news to Bess Nightingale.

As Brenda left the emergency room and walked over to the waiting area, Bess looked up at her with tearful eyes.

Brenda sat down beside her, feeling sure there was no point trying to soften the blow because Dr Nightingale had been a colleague as well as a close friend, she was a cybernetic surgeon and would understand as soon as she explained there was no easy way to repair the damage her lover had suffered.

"Please tell me he's still alive," Bess said as she blinked away tears.

Brenda nodded, and Bess breathed out a relived sigh.

"As long as he's alive, that's all that matters. I can cope - me and Felix, _we_ can cope –"

"Bess," she said gently, "You saw how severe the injury was. He has taken a hard blow that caused part of the skull to shatter. He has bone fragments in his brain, he's got bleeding and massive internal damage. We can't fix it with an implant to boost his damaged function because there's not enough left in the damaged area to link with the implant."

Bess took in her words, gave another sob and shook her head.

"If it can't be fixed... no, you can't let him die..."

"_There is another way,"_ she reminded her.

Bess took in a slow breath as she tried to compose herself and then looked back at Brenda.

As she began to work out what Brenda was suggesting, her eyes filled with tears again.

"_You can't do that to Felix..."_

Her voice was still tearful and she sounded as if the shock of what had happened was clouding her judgment; as she listened to the tone of her voice, Brenda felt more like she was talking to the next of kin of a patient, not a knowledgeable cybernetic surgeon who ought to understand what she was trying to explain...

Brenda remained calm, remembering Bess was in shock, and explained carefully.

"Without treatment, if he survives, he will be severely brain damaged and most likely never regain consciousness. But if we remove the damaged section of tissue and replace it with a partially electronic brain, he will make a recovery. It's his only chance, Bess. My husband has a small back up for his memory storage that is similar, you know Gadget, you _know_ he's absolutely fine with it."

Bess frowned as she thought about it.

"But that was to repair a different kind of injury."

"_I know."_

"But if you do that to Felix, it won't replace exactly what he's lost, not with the kind of damage he's sustained! He could lose his memory, his personality – he could literally lose a part of himself!"

Bess was on the brink of tears again.

"I'm sorry," Brenda said to her, "But we don't have time to debate this. The sooner we replace the damaged tissue with partial cybernetic function, the better his chances are. You know this, you're a doctor. I understand this is difficult, but you _have_ to think with your mind and keep your heart out of this situation. If it was any other patient, you would say to go with the cybernetic replacement function."

Bess slowly nodded.

"I guess you're right," she whispered, and more tears ran down her face.

Brenda's heart ached for Bess as she stood up again and told her there was no more time to spare because Felix needed the procedure right away. And then she walked back towards the emergency room, leaving her close friend to weep alone.

* * *

Gadget was driving back towards the Steel Temple Cemetery.

Robo Gadget was sitting beside him, watching the world go by as they sped along like an excited child.

He looked down at the face on the screen and smiled, flashing large teeth.

_"I feel like this is an adventure!"_ he exclaimed.

The computerized face flipped over, rolled its eyes and replied flatly:

"This is work, Robo Gadget. Just behave yourself; do as the Inspector says and leave the police work to him!"

And as they neared the gates of the cemetery, Gadget smiled.

Suddenly the place didn't fill him with dark and depressing thoughts, he felt sure Robo Gadget would provide the perfect distraction as he revisited the place that had formerly brought up so many bad memories of the past...

"Why are we here?" Robo Gadget asked.

"Because I want to speak to the cemetery keeper again, I just want to be sure I've covered everything," he replied, and the car slowed to a halt outside the cemetery gates.

"This won't take long," Gadget said, looking down at the computerized screen.

And then his phone rang.

He gave a sigh."

"If that's Quimby again I don't think I can keep from yelling this time!" he complained answered the call.

"Gadget here," he said sharply.

There was pause, and then a sob.

_"Inspector Gadget? It's Bess Nightingale. I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened with you and Felix. I know you wanted to apologize to him – and I'm sure you'll do all you can to catch the person responsible."_

Gadget fell a sharp ache in his heart as memories of the other timeline hit him and he blinked away tears, recalling how in another life, she had been his lover...

"Of course I will," he promised, "I swear I'll bring his attacker to justice."

Bess thanked him quietly and ended the call.

Robo Gadget was bouncing up and down on the passenger seat like an excited kid.

"So let's go in the cemetery and work on this case!" he said eagerly.

"Sure," Gadget replied, and then he got out of the car, still lost in his own thoughts.

Robo Gadget hurried after him eagerly.

As they entered the cemetery, Gadget's mind was still far from the thoughts that had plagued him on his last visit – but not because Robo Gadget was distracting him - _it was more to do with the fact that Bess Nightingale was making his heart ache, quite unexpectedly, all over again..._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the cemetery keeper opened the door she looked at Gadget and then to the man standing beside him who seemed to be his imitation. Not a _perfect_ imitation, they wore similar coats and hats but the trench coat worn by the second man seemed a little too long, there was a vague mechanical sound as he tilted his head slightly and regarded her with eyes dark as night, a sharp contrast to Gadget's own eyes of sky blue.

Inspector Gadget spoke up quickly to explain:

"This is my colleague, Robo Gadget."

Alexandra smiled.

"Nice to meet you," she said politely, and then she turned her attention back to the Inspector.

"Do you have any news on the thief?"

"I'd better come in and explain," he said, and she opened the door wider and he stepped inside, followed by Robo Gadget.

"I can't believe I'm working on a _real_ case!" the android said excitedly, "What do you want me to do Gadget, shall I go and take a look at the crime scene?"

A flash of panic briefly filled his eyes as he recalled Robo Gadget's behavior at the lab.

"_No!_ Just wait here in the hall, I won't be long."

The android gave a disappointed sigh.

"Okay, what ever you say," he replied reluctantly, and then he watched as Gadget and the cemetery keeper walked off towards the front room.

* * *

As they entered the room, Gadget closed the door behind them and gestured to the sofa.

"I think you should sit down, I have some news about the case and it's not good."

Her face paled as she took a seat and then looked up at Gadget.

"Please don't tell me there's been another break in – I haven't even been informed about it yet!"

"No," Gadget replied, "It's nothing to do with the cemetery. I just wanted to warn you that we're no longer looking for a thief who steals body parts, we're looking for a dangerous individual who's currently being hunted for attempted murder. Those charges could change to murder – the victim suffered a serious head injury."

Her eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief.

"He's attacked a living person? What happened?"

"The thief broke into a cybernetics laboratory. A scientist named Dr Felix Todd disturbed the break in and was attacked. We don't know if he's going to make it, his injuries are life threatening."

She drew in a shocked breath.

"The maniac who did that is the same person who broke into graves at my cemetery?"

Gadget nodded.

"I'm certain of it," he replied.

And as Gadget looked into her frightened eyes, his instinct was telling him he was _already_ looking at the suspect, because on his previous visit, Alexandra had asked him about the blood on the wall in the crypt, and no statement had been released publicly to confirm what the message had been written in; it could have been anything from paint to lipstick – but she had asked about the _blood_, and Gadget had turned that over and over in his mind as he tried to put the woman who sat in front of him together with the Body Snatcher.

_It still seemed to make no sense, and there was no evidence yet to make an arrest._

He knew if he pulled her in for questioning, Chief Quimby would hit the roof over it, yelling at him that a mad man was on the loose and he was wasting valuable time by accusing the cemetery keeper...

Gadget continued to look at her thoughtfully.

"Do you live here alone?" he asked.

She ran her fingers through her long hair and nodded.

"It didn't bother me before, being surrounded by all the graves. I loved the responsibility of taking care of this place, it was an honor to care for the cybernetic dead – but now I feel scared because every night, when I hear the slightest sound – I wonder if I really am alone."

"Do you have any family in Riverton?" he wondered.

She shook her head again.

"I'm quite alone, Inspector...Why?"

Gadget shrugged.

"I just wondered how come you're by yourself here. I would have thought you might have a boyfriend or a husband?"

And he sat down beside her.

She smiled as she looked at him.

"I'm flattered to think that you'd assume I'm not single – but I am."

Gadget relaxed as much as his cautious nature would allow as he continued to carefully question her.

"Do you have many friends around here?"

"A few, but with everything that's happened lately I haven't had time to socialize. And not many people are comfortable coming to visit me in the middle of a cemetery. I find the place peaceful but you'd be surprised how many others think it's creepy."

Gadget briefly recalled how he had fled on the verge of an anxiety attack the day before, when the offer of the crypt had brought back his own memories of a time when he had feared that death was to close for comfort.

"I can understand that point of view," he replied, "I was very sick less than two years ago. Even to this day I find death a difficult subject...On another subject, this house is nice, but a big place for one person..."

As he spoke again he cast a glance around the comfortable, slightly old fashioned front room, and then he asked her another question:

"What made you decide to work here, caring for Steel Temple?"

"I'm comfortable around the dead; I think cemeteries are peaceful, spiritual places."

"But why a _cyborg_ cemetery?" he asked, and looked at her intently.

She smiled sweetly as she shook her head.

"Why not? I've a great deal of fondness for cyborg people – I think it must take a lot of courage for a person to take that step into the unknown and become part machine. There are many brave people buried here, Inspector. _Ordinary people to the rest of the world, but to those who think about the pain they went through in life, it's a resting place of warriors. A Valhalla..._"

There was something about the softness of her tone that added to his suspicions, but he wasn't sure why. And then Alexandra smiled shyly as she rested her hand on his knee.

"That's the reason I offered you the crypt, Inspector – I'm aware that you're seventy percent cyborg. You're a courageous man."

And she gave his knee a squeeze.

Gadget shifted back, setting a space between them as she removed her hand from his leg. He smiled and blushed as he looked back at her.

"And I'm married," he reminded her, "Very happily..."

There was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes but then it was gone as she smiled again.

"I'm glad to hear it," she added, "So...would you like a coffee, Inspector?"

"No thanks, I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the cemetery," he replied, "Could you give me a few facts about this place? I'd like to know some of the history."

"Of course, ask away," she said, and while Gadget was asking questions about the history of the cemetery, he was thinking about Alexandra and wondering why his instinct was screaming that she was the Body Snatcher. He still didn't have enough pieces to form the whole picture, but he felt as if the puzzle was starting to come together...

* * *

Robo Gadget had swiftly become bored waiting in the hallway.

He had glanced down at his shoes and felt relieved to see the blood had not stained them when he slipped in the lab; going home to Robo Brenda with blood on his shoes would have caused a quarrel as she accused him of bringing _icky stuff_ into the house, and Kramer would have worried about where the blood had come from, because he was a natural worrier, so it was a good thing he had wiped his feet on the mat on the way out of the building, because he had left bloody foot prints from the lab to the elevator to the exit back at the Braydon Hospital...

He had been leaning against the wall, staring at faded wallpaper and feeling bored for more than ten minutes – which for Robo Gadget, was _far_ too long to be doing nothing... He looked up the hallway, saw the door to the front room was still closed and gave a sigh.

"I ought to be doing my _own_ investigation!" he said, and reached for a door handle.

He opened the door quietly, looked around a bright kitchen, and closed the door again.

"No clues there!" He exclaimed, and tried a second door.

Robo Gadget took a step inside and looked left and right, checking out the blue tiled bathroom.

"Nothing here..." he muttered, and left the room.

He glanced down the hallway again. The door was still closed.

Then he took in a deep breath as he stood at the bottom of the narrow flight of stairs that led to the upper floor of the house.

_"Why not!"_ he said excitedly, and began to creep up the stairs while keeping his robotic hearing carefully tuned to the sound of Gadget's voice in the front room as he spoke at length to the cemetery keeper.

As he reached the top of the stairs he looked around, seeing a narrow hallway with four doors leading off, two on the left and one on the right, and a final door at the end of the hall.

He tried the first door and found an empty spare bedroom.

The second door was the main bedroom, and he stepped inside, smiling and flashing big teeth as he wandered in and looked about.

"I need to search...just in case she's involved in the crime!" he said aloud and headed over to a large chest of drawers beside a closet.

Robo Gadget pulled open the first drawer, thrust his hand inside, grabbed at the contents and tugged.

"Clues!" he exclaimed, as his eyes glittered darkly.

Then he studied the flimsy garments he clutched in his hand.

"_Panties?"_ he said in surprise.

He studied the underwear for a brief moment, then shook his head and dropped the garments on the floor, before turning to a large book case that stood against the far wall.

He studied the titles and shook his head again.

"Maps of the world, butterflies, poetry..."

He saw a book jutting out from the case, it had no title on the spine and he gave it a push to set it back in place.

Gears clicked into motion and the case revolved to reveal another set of books.

"A novelty bookcase!" he exclaimed excitedly, wondering if maybe Kramer would build him one if he asked...

Then he stepped closer and noticed these books were much more recent than the dusty old titles on the other side – and as he reached for a book entitled _Secrets of Robotics_, his clumsy hand grabbed too hard and several books fell to the floor.

"Oops!" he muttered, and grabbed a handful of titles and shoved them back, then grabbed another handful – and heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh no!" he said, shoving the final three books into his pocket, "I might be in trouble, he said to wait downstairs!"

And Robo Gadget hit the false book and the case turned back once more.

Then he headed for the door as the footsteps got louder – but stopped and turned back sharply, recalling he had left the underwear on the floor, and dashed over to the open drawer where the panties were scattered about the carpet where he had dropped them.

As he grabbed at the underwear, he struggled to find words to explain his actions.

Then it was too late, because Inspector Gadget opened the door...

"I know you said to wait downstairs, but I was just looking for _clues,_ boss!" he exclaimed, and then he recalled the book, and added, "I found something _exciting!_"

Gadget's jaw dropped at the sight of the android standing next to the open chest of drawers, with both hands full of many pairs of Alexandra's panties,while an excited look shone in his eyes.

"I'm _so_ glad I came up here!" Robo Gadget added.

Gadget glared at him.

"Put it them back!" he said in a hushed voice as his face turned scarlet.

"But I was, I was just about to tell you –"

"_No!"_ Gadget said sharply, "Put them _back,_ Robo Gadget!"

The android shoved the underwear back in the drawer and closed it.

"But I _found _something –"

Gadget shot him another angry look as he struggled to keep his voice down.

"I can see what you found! Don't you _ever_ do that again!"

"But –"

"No!" Gadget said angrily, then lowered his voice as he heard footsteps, "_Don't_ say another word!"

Robo Gadget struggled to explain as he walked over to him.

"But I was –"

"I saw what you was doing. Get _out_ of her bedroom!"

"But boss –"

"_Out!"_

Alexandra had joined them in the hallway.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

Gadget's face was still flushed as he shot the android a furious look, and then turned politely back to the cemetery keeper.

"I'm sorry about my colleague – he's a trainee, he doesn't understand the importance of following my instructions."

"But I was –"

"We're leaving," Gadget cut in, "Come on, Robo Gadget – you've seen enough!"

And he gave him a nudge and Robo Gadget walked quickly down the stairs, followed by Alexandra and Gadget as the Inspector apologized again for his colleagues inability to follow instructions.

"Sorry," Gadget said yet again as they reached the front door, "He was just looking for the bathroom."

"No, I was –"

"_Looking for the bathroom!"_ Gadget said sharply, and Robo Gadget slowly nodded.

"You should have said," Alexandra began, but Gadget steered his android companion out of the door.

"He can wait till we get back to HQ. Thanks again for your time," he said hastily.

And then he led him back in silence to the Gadget Mobile, feeling too furious to speak until they were far from the gates of the cemetery.

As soon as they were back in the car, he started up the engine and as the car spoke up asking _Where to_, Gadget kept his eyes on the road and snapped,_ "Just drive!"_

They sped away from the cemetery and Robo Gadget looked at the Inspector anxiously.

"_I need to explain."_

Gadget glared at him again.

"Spare me the excuses! I'm taking you home!"

"But I need to explain –"

"I _don't _want to hear it!" Gadget said sharply, and then drove on in silence.

* * *

Bess Nightingale had lost track of time as she waited, worried, cried and eventually slept in the waiting area while Felix was in surgery.

She had tried to remind herself that as a cybernetic surgeon she knew the procedure, she understood it was his best possible chance for survival, but this was not work, this was not a patient and she was not the surgeon – she was waiting for news of her lover, and it was very different to be on the other side of a world she usually had control over...

She had performed countless operations on victims of accidents and had to explain procedures to their loved ones, and had always handled it well. But now she was in the position of the worried next of kin, and it was unbearable.

She knew she could have assisted in the procedure – but Brenda had quite rightly denied her that chance because she was too distraught.

Bess understood; if she had been in the operating room, the strain would have been too much, she would not have been at her best professional capacity – and he was critical and needed expertise from surgeons who were calm and capable. She was too close to get involved, but she had faith in Brenda.

She thought about Inspector Gadget and hoped he would catch the person responsible for her lover's injuries.

Bess wanted to call him again; there was something calm and reassuring about the tone of Gadget's voice in this time of crisis. She knew it was no coincidence that she felt very aware of the fact that Gadget's face was a copy of her lover's, although Felix was nothing like Gadget in any other way, they did share the same face, and she was sure if Gadget had walked in as she sat there waiting for news, she would have thrown her arms around him and held him close as she wept, desperate to pretend as she pulled away that she was looking at Felix instead...

Bess glanced at the clock on the wall and then thought about making another call to Gadget. She knew it was unlikely he had cracked the case so quickly, but she wanted to hear his voice again.

_His voice, a copy of Felix, just like his face..._

She stifled a sob and wiped her eyes as she tried to keep herself together; it was almost impossible to do, but she was holding on because she wanted to know Felix had survived. As long as he lived, as long as he got through the procedure, everything else could be handled one day at a time...

_"Bess."_

She looked up to see Brenda standing beside her.

"I just want to know one thing –"

"He made it," Brenda assured her, and then she sat down beside her and took hold of her hand as Bess sobbed again.

"I need you to calm down," she said gently, "I know this is difficult, I know how it feels to have someone you love critically injured. I went through it with Gadget many years ago, I _do_ understand."

Bess drew in a sharp breath and wiped her eyes again as she tried to hold back her tears and listen to Brenda.

"Can I talk to you now?" Brenda asked softly.

Bess nodded, looking at her tearfully.

"We got him through the surgery with no complications. He's had the damaged tissue removed and replaced with a partial electronic brain. The connections bond instantly so the wires have fixed the bleeding problem, also he's had some wiring through to the optic nerve in his right eye to counteract the damage caused by the injury. We had to open his skull right up to the work and the bone is back in place and the damaged section has been replaced with a titanium plate. We made the incision below the hairline so when the staples are out and his hair grows over it, the scars won't show. So cosmetically, very soon he will look the same as he did before. But there's going to be pain with the healing process and he's going to struggle at first because it will take a while for the cybernetic part of the brain to function properly."

Bess nodded.

"But you don't know how much of him is lost?"

"No," Brenda said quietly, "He could have memory problems, mood swings, difficulty regaining his speech or balance, or _none_ of those problems. It's too soon to evaluate the long term effect. But he will need you, so you have to try to be strong. I know its difficult, but he's going to need your support to get through this. Thankfully he's knowledgeable in cybernetic treatments so he will understand what's happened and why, that will go a long way to helping him accept it."

"I know that," Bess replied, "Felix will understand why you had to do it."

"He's also got a pathway down his right arm that opens up into a pace for a small external memory chip, so if he has problems adjusting to running the inner memory bank he can reroute to the removable chip. It can also serve as –"

"Extra storage, or an easy way to replace lost memories via prompts such as old digital pictures and home movies, yes I know that...I'm just afraid that he won't be Felix any more."

Brenda fell silent for a moment, knowing she was unable to offer her any more words of reassurance.

"Is he out of surgery yet?" Bess asked her.

"He's being moved to a private room, he's on life support but he's stable and all the signs are good, so remember that. You know the statistics, Bess – he's made it through the procedure. That's half the battle won."

Bess drew in a slow breath as she nodded.

"I know that."

"I'll come back and let you know as soon as you can see him," she replied, and then Brenda got up and walked away down the long corridor.

Bess wanted to cry all over again as she thought of her lover and felt like her heart was breaking.

Then she thought of Inspector Gadget and how reassuring his voice had sounded as he had promised to bring her lover's attacker to justice.

She decided she would call him again, not yet, not until she was sure Felix was stable – but she _would_ be calling him again...

* * *

It was late afternoon when Dr Kramer came home from work.

He had arrived home in a happy frame of mind, planning to cook dinner for everyone because Cindi was coming over and he was hoping to bring up the subject of her moving in with him; as her best friend Robo Brenda now lived here with Robo Gadget, it seemed the perfect suggestion to make, not only to bring them closer, but to unite everyone as a closer family.

And then as he took off his jacket and hung it up, he turned to see Robo Gadget standing in the hallway looking disappointed.

_"I might have messed up my first day at work. Don't tell Robo Brenda,"_ he said sadly.

"What happened?" Kramer asked, and walked with him to the kitchen, where Robo Gadget sat down at the table while Kramer put away food he had planned to start cooking for dinner and then instead sat down beside the android.

"Tell me what's wrong," he said kindly.

Robo Gadget looked at the spiky-haired scientist and gave a sigh.

"I walked into a crime scene and slipped in the blood. Then we went over a possible suspects house and Gadget told me to stay put, but I got bored, I went upstairs and searched her room and ...I didn't mean to grab all those panties! I was putting them away and Gadget walked in ...he was furious with me, I think he thought I was stealing her underwear!"

Kramer's eyes grew wide behind his glasses.

"He thought what? I'm not having that, Robo Gadget! Give me the phone!"

Robo Gadget handed him the phone and Kramer called the Inspector's number.

"Don't worry," Kramer told him, as he waited for the call to be answered, "I'll sort this out."

And then he shook his head.

"As if you'd do a thing like that...I'll soon put this right!"

The ringing phone was finally answered.

"Gadget here," said the Inspector.

"This is Dr Kramer. I'm _not_ happy with how you handled Robo Gadget today. You sent him home because he was searching a suspects room? I thought he was supposed to be training to be a cop!"

There was a pause. Then Gadget replied politely, but sounding firm in his decision.

"I'm going to leave Robo Gadget to think about what he did for a couple of days. I won't report this to the Chief, because I want to give him one more chance. I _know_ he has his problems, Kramer – but you need to explain to him about what's appropriate and what isn't! I found him in her room with her panties in his hands!"

"And I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation! Maybe he was searching and realized he was looking in the wrong place and didn't have time to put them back!"

"That's what happened!" Robo Gadget exclaimed.

But Kramer was still talking to Gadget.

"Did you actually allow him time to explain?"

"I was too mad at him!" Gadget replied, "He was standing there with her underwear in his hands saying he'd just found something _exciting!_ Tell me how that sounds to you!"

Kramer gave a sigh.

"I'm sure it's not the way it looks. Maybe he found something else –"

_"I did."_

Kramer looked down at the books Robo Gadget had just placed on the table.

"Gadget, he's just pulled something out of his pocket and I think you should come over and take a look. This could be evidence."

"What is it?" Gadget asked.

Kramer glanced at the books Robo Gadget had set out on the table.

"It looks like books on cybernetics – does that make sense?"

"This could be important," Gadget replied, "I'm on my way, I'll see you soon."

The call ended and Kramer smiled at his android friend.

"I think the misunderstandings been cleared up," he told him, "Gadget's on his way over to see you!"

Worry clouded Robo Gadget's eyes.

"I hope he's not still mad at me."

"No," Kramer promised him, "He won't be. I'll explain everything. Now, tell me exactly what happened today."

And Robo Gadget explained and Kramer listened, and by the time he had finished explaining, Kramer felt proud of him, and certain that Robo Gadget was going to turn out a better cop than everyone else seemed to think – he just hoped Gadget would see it that way too...

* * *

Bess Nightingale sat at her lovers bedside and silently watched over him.

She had assumed at a time like this her medical knowledge would be helpful, keeping her informed in a professional way – but a professional attitude was the last thing on her mind as she anxiously waited for Felix to open his eyes.

She understood the function of every single wire attached to his body, knew at a glance the monitors suggested he was stabilizing fast, but it made no difference to her feelings of shock at what had happened to him.

Felix was on his back with a sheet up to his chest and while machinery around him bleeped steadily, his eyes stayed closed.

As Bess looked at him she barely recognized him; his head was bandaged and the right side of his face bruised, his eye was almost swollen shut, shading a blackening purple. His arm was also bandaged where a wire had been fed inside to enable an external storage space for back up memory as a boost for his new electronic brain function.

"Felix," she said gently, "Can you hear me? You got badly hurt but you're getting better now..."

He gave no response as the monitors bleeped and he continued to breathe slowly and evenly, assisted by the equipment that surrounded his bed.

Bess took hold of his hand.

"You had to have some cybernetic treatment," she told him, "You had a head injury that couldn't be repaired any other way. Because of the cybernetic fluid you've now had introduced to your blood stream, you'll heal really quickly. It won't be long before you wake up."

Bess stopped talking as she drew in a sharp breath and wiped her eyes, knowing if she wept now she would never stop, and she wanted to be strong – at least while she was around Felix.

She watched him sleeping deeply for a few more moments, and then tenderly kissed his cheek.

"I'll be back in minute," she whispered, and then stepped out of the room.

She drew her phone from her pocket and then searched through her numbers and found the one she was looking for, and quickly called it.

"Gadget here," said the Inspector.

Bess gripped the phone tightly, tears glazing her eyes all over again as she remembered Gadget had a perfect copy of her lover's face and voice.

"I just wanted to let you know Felix has got through the surgery. He's stabilizing fast but we don't know how he's going to get along with the partial electronic brain until he wakes up."

"That's all good news," Gadget replied, "He's made it, he's going to recover. I'm still working hard on the case. I can't promise an arrest any time soon but we _are_ getting closer."

His words gave her a spark of hope.

""You have a suspect?"

"Perhaps. I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything more, you know police procedure; we have to keep stuff like this under wraps. But we are getting closer."

"Please find the bastard who did this to Felix, I want him brought to justice!"

"So do I," Gadget replied, "And...I'm sorry but I have to go, I'm actually on my way to a location to look at some possible evidence as we speak."

"Oh...I see. Well, good luck Inspector. And thank you again."

"What for?" Gadget asked.

Bess felt that warm, safe feeling all over again as she clutched the phone and spoke to the man with her lover's face and voice.

"Thanks for all your help," she said softly, and ended the call.

Then she took a deep breath and held back her tears as she went back into the room where Felix was making a slow recovery from his ordeal.

* * *

Riley stood on the porch and waited for the door to open.

As soon as it did and he saw Megan standing there, he didn't need to think about what he wanted to say.

"I'm sorry," he told her, "I didn't mean what I said – well, not the way you took it...I've got nothing against cybernetics. And I respect your decision to have the tattoo and I really do think it's beautiful."

She stepped back from the door and he went inside, then Megan closed the door again and looked at him tearfully.

Riley felt a flicker of alarm as he wondered if he had not said enough, or even if he had said too much – he wished his Dad could have been there with him, but Sanford had told him he needed to sort this out on his own, because he couldn't run his life for him...

"Please don't tell me you hate me for what I said!"

"No, it's not you," she said as she blinked away tears, "My Mom called home to say she's going to be late, she's working on a patient who needed cybernetic surgery today – it's Dr Todd. Someone attacked him in his lab and left him with serious head injuries. I hope he makes it, Riley."

"So do I."

Riley put his arms around her and for a moment they said no more as they embraced, and then Megan let go of him.

"I don't hate cybernetics," he said again, "I just don't feel it could ever be an option for me. I'm glad Dr Todd had the surgery; I don't doubt he would want cybernetic treatment under the circumstances. I hope it works for him, I really do. But all that stuff I said before, it was about _me_, Megan – not about any one else."

Megan nodded.

"I get that now."

Riley looked into her eyes.

"So...are we still okay? I mean, do you still want to see me?"

The look in Megan's eyes softened as she nodded.

"Of course I do," she told him, and as she hugged him again, Riley felt a sense of relief wash over him to know the girl he loved had forgiven him at last.

* * *

Gadget arrived at Kramer's house as the sun was starting to set.

He knocked on the door and it was opened by Robo Brenda, who was wearing a shimmering pink dress that clung to her curves and the small baby bump that she fondly rested her hand on as she greeted him.

"Oh hi Inspector!" she said warmly, "It's great to see you! I'm so glad you came over to say sorry to my Robo Gadget, he's ever so upset! Of course you know you got it wrong, don't you? You know he's a good boy, he was trying to solve a case, that's all – when I heard you found him with panties in his hand I couldn't stop laughing!"

And she threw her head back and gave a high pitched metallic giggle.

"Come on in, let's get this mess cleared up!" she said.

And Gadget entered the house, feeling sure he would _not_ be making any kind of apology to Robo Gadget until the facts had been established.

Robo Brenda gestured to the front room.

"He's in there," she said, "Now I'm going outside to sit in the garden and let you boys sort out the problem!"

And on saying that, she walked away, hips swaying as her shimmering dress caught the light.

Gadget took in a deep breath and went up the hallway to the front room, where Robo Gadget was sitting on a sofa and Kramer was beside him.

Both men broke off from their conversation as Gadget walked in and Kramer made a move to get up, but Gadget sat down too and looked at them both across the coffee table that stood between them.

"You talk," he said, looking to Robo Gadget, "And I'll listen. I know what I saw appeared to be something very wrong, but if I'm wrong, please do correct me."

And Robo Gadget glanced to Kramer, who took over the explanation:

"Robo Gadget wanted to look for clues at the suspects house."

Gadget blinked.

"How did you know she was a suspect?"

The android shrugged.

"I guessed maybe she could be the one stealing the body parts – I mean, she does live there, she's the only living person there because its a cemetery and everyone else is dead, right?"

Gadget started to smile.

"I think there's a good chance you'll make a great cop some day!"

Kramer spoke up again.

"Gadget, he _wasn't_ rifling through her underwear – he opened up the drawer to see what was inside, dropped the contents on the floor and then he found the revolving book case and –"

"_What book case?"_ Suddenly the conversation had shifted from clearing up a misunderstanding to something that was sparking the interest of the detective in him; he wanted answers...

"Robo Gadget found a book case with a hidden lever. He activated it and the case turned around. It revealed an archive of hidden books on cybernetics and robotics – but mainly cybernetic surgery."

And Robo Gadget pushed a small stack of books across the table.

He smiled, showing big teeth as his eyes sparkled hopefully.

"I had no time to put them back, so I put them in my pocket. Is this evidence, Gadget?"

And Gadget looked at the books, one was about the basics of cybernetic surgery, another covered the subject of human anatomy and common ways to link in cyborg parts. The third book was entitled _Basic Medical Robotics_.

Gadget looked at the books again, thought of the message scrawled on the wall of the crypt that promised _Next time a cyborg,_ and a chill passed through his seventy percent cyborg body...

"I think this could be a definite clue," he said quietly, "But this won't be enough for the Chief to allow me to search the house – there could be a number of reasons why she has these books – and that's an old house, it's got a revolving book case, it could be a feature that came with the house and it doesn't mean she's deliberately hiding this stuff. Quimby would want a lot more than this if there's going to be a search warrant issued."

Robo Gadget's eyes glittered darkly.

_"Let's just break in and do it anyway! You could distract her while I –"_

"No!" Gadget told him firmly, "We are in the business of upholding the law, _not_ breaking it! Leave the detective work to me, we need to do some more investigating before we go back to the cemetery keeper."

And then he got up from his seat.

"Thanks for explaining," he said to Robo Gadget, "I'm sorry I read the situation wrong and I'm _very_ impressed with your efforts. But next time, _please_ do as I say when we're on a case. I'm going to take this evidence with me, and I'll call you in a couple of days when I'll need your help. For now there's nothing else to do. Please don't go off and investigate on your own – we're a team, remember?"

The word _team_ made Robo Gadget's eyes light up as he smiled.

"Okay, I'll wait for you to call, boss! I like that, we're a team!"

Gadget slipped the books into his trench coat and glanced at Kramer.

"Thanks for helping to clear up this misunderstanding. I think Robo Gadget's showing great potential to be a detective some day."

Kramer smiled proudly.

"That's wonderful news!"

Gadget returned his smile and looked to Robo Gadget.

"I have to go. I'll call you when I need more of your help," he said, and then he left the house.

Gadget went back to the car, got in and the engine roared into life.

"Home?" the car suggested.

"Yes please!" Gadget said, keen to leave the working day behind and get back to his family once more.

As the Gadget Mobile drove away from Kramer's house, Gadget thought about how helpful Robo Gadget had proved to be – he was sure the Chief would think so too when he was aware of all the facts. But that wouldn't be happening yet – Gadget had made other plans first, mainly involving sneaking into the cemetery keeper's house while she was out and conducting his own unofficial investigation. It wasn't his usual way, it wasn't by the book – but he had always listened to instinct, and he was sure he was right about his hunch.

He didn't know why Alexandra could be the Body Snatcher, so far he had found no motive – but his plans were firmly in place now, and he thought about them as he drove along:

He would run extensive background checks on the cemetery keeper's background and then, even if nothing showed up, he would go over to the house and search it from top to bottom, because he was sure there was something waiting to be found, even though he wasn't sure why that thought sent such a chill down his spine - perhaps it was instinct again, warning him that he was about to uncover something terrible. The words on the wall of the crypt had warned _Next time a cyborg_, and he knew if he didn't unmask the Body Snatcher soon there would be more victims - _and the next one would most likely wind up dead..._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The sun was sinking fast as Gadget arrived home.

He still had the evidence in the Gadget Mobile, and had left it there along with thoughts of work as he unlocked the front door and went inside.

As he hung up his coat and hat Brenda stepped out into the hallway to meet him.

"How was your day?" she asked.

Gadget turned and looked at her and as their eyes met, he put his arms around her and held her tightly.

As Brenda pulled back from his embrace she saw a pained look in his eyes and she knew why; he had not got the chance to say sorry to Felix, and it was still heavy on his mind...

"Dr Todd's stabilizing," she told him, "He needed cybernetic treatment, but he'll learn to adjust. He's lucky to be alive."

Sadness reflected in Gadget's eyes.

"I never thought the day we had that fight would be the last time I'd see him before it happened. As soon as he's able to have visitors I'll go and tell him how sorry I am."

"He may not remember."

Gadget shook his head.

"It's not the point," he replied, "I _need_ to say sorry to the guy."

And then he thought for a moment, considering all she had just told him.

"How much cybernetic work did he need?"

"A partial electronic brain function replacement, additional back up to external memory storage too, wiring through an optic nerve...he should start to recover quickly, he's got enough cybernetic fluid in his body to effect rapid healing."

Pain still reflected in Gadget's eyes, but this was a deeper, much older pain now as he remembered his own time of transition.

"He's going to have a hard time getting used to being part machine."

"Hopefully not – he's a cybernetic scientist and surgeon, he will understand why he needed the procedure."

"But he's still going to feel a loss," Gadget reminded her, "Everyone does when they go through something like that. I should know that more than anyone."

"He _will_ cope," she promised him, and then Gadget drew his wife into his arms and held her again, wishing he could block out the past – in _both_ timelines – because at that moment, his own painful recollections had never seemed closer...

* * *

Robo Gadget had a big smile on his face that had been present ever since Gadget had left.

"He said I did a good job," he told Robo Brenda as they lay side by side on the bed they shared, they were on top of the covers as a warm breeze shifted the nets and Robo Brenda smiled too as she playfully ran her fingers through his hair.

"You're a clever boy! I knew you could do it; you'll be a detective before you know it! This is so exciting – I'm having a baby and my fiancée is about to become as famous as Inspector Gadget!"

There was a mechanical sound as Robo Gadget turned his head and looked at her.

"As famous as Gadget? Do you really think so?"

"Probably," she replied as she twisted a long strand of bright red hair around her finger, "Just don't get into dangerous situations. I want you to stay safe."

His eyes glittered darkly as he thought about the future.

"I'll be the toughest cop in Riverton!"

"Okay...just don't be _stupid_ with it, leave the rough situations to the Inspector – he knows how to handle trouble."

"I wish I could do more on the Body Snatcher case. I'd _love _to make an arrest!"

Robo Brenda frowned.

"I don't think you have the power to do that..."

"I can do what I like, I just need some handcuffs!" he replied, and looked at her excitedly.

"You need to be a _proper_ cop first," she reminded him.

"I _am_ a proper cop!"

She smiled sweetly.

"Maybe you should talk to Inspector Gadget about that," she told him, and then she put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

_"I'm going to be a crime fighting legend!"_ he suddenly announced, as he continued to dream about being a hero.

Robo Brenda gave a soft, metallic laugh and held him tighter.

"Just make sure you do what Gadget tells you to do, I don't want you getting into any more trouble."

He glanced down at her.

"But danger is part of my job!"

She laughed again, kissed him and then gave him a hug.

"You're such a big dummy sometimes, but I love you," she told him, and then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, while Robo Gadget stayed awake and watched the breeze shift the nets while he dreamed of being a hero.

* * *

Gadget moved quietly about the bedroom as Brenda slept.

It was close to midnight and while the rest of the town was slumbering, he was wide awake, because he knew rules had to be bent or possibly broken in order to solve this case. He needed evidence that wouldn't surface without a search warrant, and Quimby would not allow him a warrant based on a hunch, so as much as he hated to go against the rules, he was doing just that, and doing it quietly and carefully because his family were sleeping...

Gadget made his way quietly down the hall, then went downstairs and picked up his keys before putting on his trench coat and hat.

He had estimated the Gadget Mobile could get over to the cemetery in less than ten minutes if he opened up the rockets, and with the use of his gadgets, he could easily reach the cemetery keeper's house and gain access while she slept...

As he closed the front door softly behind him, he felt a flicker of guilt, partly because he was breaking the rules and partly because he didn't like to sneak off without telling Brenda...

Gadget got into the car and started the engine, and the screen jumped brightly to life as the computerized face looked up at him.

"What are you up to, sneaking around in the middle of the night?" the car asked him.

"Looking for evidence," Gadget said quietly, "I'm going to drive to the bottom of the road, and then I want you to open up the rockets and get me over to Steel Temple cemetery as fast as you can."

"Okay G Man, anything you say!" the car replied, and Gadget pulled out of the driveway and turned into the street and headed up to the end of the road, where the rockets burned blue flame and then the car shot off at top speed.

* * *

Over at the home of Sanford Scolex, Penny had woken suddenly, listened for her baby son's cry and heard nothing, then checked him and found him sleeping soundly.

It was only when she turned back to get into bed that she realized Sanford was not there, and so she had quietly left the bedroom, seen the light on downstairs, and made her way down to find him.

Penny knew at once where he had gone; the only other light came from the warm glow of the lamp in the front room, and she found him in there sitting on a sofa by the window with a glass of scotch in his hand.

He took a drink from it and set the glass down as she walked over and sat beside him.

"Can't sleep?"

He shook his head.

"I've got things on my mind, that's all."

Penny looked at him knowingly.

"Come on, fat boy – tell me what's wrong."

Sanford looked into her eyes and as he remembered Penny was the only woman who had ever truly loved him, he knew he had no need for secrets.

"I feel so bloody useless, I wish I could help but I don't know what to do."

"Help with what?"

"With this awful situation Gadget's in."

Penny thought back to a conversation they had shared after Brenda had called her and told her about the fight - and all that had happened the following morning.

"You mean with Felix Todd?"

He nodded.

"I know what Gadget's like, he must be feeling awful about that fight, especially when Felix was injured the next day. He's probably feeling terrible, desperate to tell him he's sorry...at times like this, I remember years back, when I was reunited with Riley – I remember Gadget as I know him today, coming back from a future time to warn me to change my life. I often wonder how things would have turned out if I hadn't listened. I value that man's friendship, Penny! I want so much to help him, but there's nothing I can do."

Penny shifted closer and took hold of his hand as the look in her eyes softened.

"I remember _another_ time traveler too – his name was Sanford. And he looked just as you do now. He was brave and determined to stop his younger self from going down the wrong path in life. He begged him to turn away from crime. And you listened. And now you _are_ him."

And she smiled as love shone in her eyes.

"When I met the time traveler all those years ago and he told me about my future husband, I didn't know that man he described was you. But I'm so glad it is you. Don't think about the other timeline, the future changed, everything's turned out okay and my Uncle knows you value his friendship. But there's nothing you can do about the situation with him and Felix. Gadget has to wait until Felix is recovering, then he can talk to him properly about the fight. I'm sure things will be fine between them. My Uncle's working on the case, he'll find who ever did it, he's determined to see justice done."

"I know that," Sanford replied, "I just wish I could do more."

"But you can't," Penny reminded him.

Then she smiled fondly as she placed her hand against his cheek.

"I remember wondering what he would be like, this man I'd marry. I'm so happy it turned out to be you. We were meant to be together, in the other time line and this one – it's something set by the universe."

Sanford gently took hold of her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it.

"I don't know what I'd do with out you," he said softly, "You always remind me of what's right, or where I'm going wrong...I'd be lost without you. I'm so glad I don't recall the other time line, I didn't even feel the universe shift when the future changed. It's probably a good thing – _I wouldn't want to be walking around with two sets of memories in my head like Gadget does._"

Penny's eyes widened.

" What do you mean, _two _sets of memories?"

Her surprised tone confused him.

"You don't know?"

Penny shook her head,

"Gadget's got a partly electronic memory," he reminded her, "That's why he can remember both time lines. He told me he stored the secondary set away, because his electronic storage labelled recollections of the other timeline as corrupt files, because they have no basis in this reality. He just kept them, he didn't want to delete them - I can understand that because to him, they _are _still his memories."

As he saw the look in Penny's eyes he began to worry.

"Have I upset you?" he asked.

"No," Penny replied, but her eyes had clouded with concern, "It's just that I don't think it's a good idea for my Uncle to be walking around with memories of two lifetimes inside his head, because the other past was the bad one, where a lot of things went wrong. I'll talk to him about it as soon as I get the chance – I'll have to pick the right moment. He can't hold on to those other memories; he needs to get rid of them."

Sanford still looked worried as he spoke again.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you, I don't want you to worry. Gadget said to me he just keeps them in storage."

"But he needs to let go," she replied, "It can't do anyone any good to hold on to memories of a bad past, especially when it happened in a timeline that no longer exists."

Sanford gave a sigh.

"This is all down to me again, my fault, for stepping into the time machine in the other set of events."

"Now you're doing it too, you're thinking about the other timeline! Stop it, that's over now."

And Penny leaned closer and gently kissed him.

As she pulled back, she kept her gaze locked on his as she took hold of his hand again.

"Come on fat boy," she said, "Let's go back to bed."

As Sanford rose from his seat, she gave his hand a squeeze and the love that reflected in her eyes set his mind at rest at once, but as they went back upstairs, even though she intended to spend the night embracing him as she reminded him that she loved him, her thoughts still partly rested with her Uncle, and the fact that he had a large set of bad memories stored away in his head that he didn't need and ought to get rid of, before those recollections had a negative impact in some way...

* * *

Gadget's thoughts were far from his memories of two past timelines.

He was standing by the gates of the cemetery and considering which gadget to use to get in quickly.

"What about springs?" the car suggested.

"No, too clumsy, when ever I use those things I bounce about all over the place. I can't do that in the cemetery!"

"What about bolt cutters?" said Gadget Mobile.

"No, I can't do that – I'm not breaching security at this place, that could invite even more trouble!"

He gave a sigh, walking back several paces from the tall gates.

"I'll have to use the helicopter hat."

"_WHAT?"_ the car said loudly, "You might not clear those gates – or you could crash into the house, you never did have a great way of steering that thing!"

Gadget walked back over to the car.

*Keep your voice down before we get caught!"

"But I'm trying to _warn_ you!"

Gadget reached beneath the screen and grabbed at the connecting wires.

"That's enough, I'm disconnecting you until I get back, you're making _way_ too much noise!"

"But I don't want you to get caught!"

_"You'll get us both caught,"_ Gadget replied, and disconnected the wires and the screen fell dark and the car was silenced, its computer system now in manual sleep mode.

Then he walked back to the path, remained at a distance from the gates and steadied himself, getting ready for the weight of the helicopter blades as they shot from his hat.

"Go go Gadget Helicopter!" he said, and as the blades popped up from his hat, Gadget swayed on his feet, grabbing at the handlebars that had shot out and as the blades began to turn, a breeze strengthened, shaking leaves on nearby trees.

"This is it..." he murmured, wishing the car hadn't warned him about the hazards of using this device, and then as the blades turned faster he ran towards the gates.

The blades caught the air and lifted him from the ground, he rapidly climbed higher, soaring up and clearing the gates with ease.

He zipped left and right as he gripped at the handlebars and fought to keep a steady path through the sky.

Gadget looked down and saw the graves below, seeming so small from so high up in the air.

He had control over the flight gadget now; the helicopter was making a straight path for the cemetery keeper's house. He shifted higher, reaching a flat rooftop garden area, and then he lowered down slowly, landing carefully as the blades stopped turning.

As the heavy equipment folded back into his hat and the weight of the machinery left him, Gadget straightened up, feeling proud of the fact that it had taken years to master how to fly that thing, but he had practiced many times and these days, handled the helicopter rather well...

Then Gadget looked around and saw a closed door that led into the attic room.

As he approached it, he noticed it was locked.

That struck him as odd, because this door was extremely difficult to access from the outside, because it was on the roof...

Gadget made his way quietly up to the door.

He looked left and right but saw only boarded up windows, another sight that struck him as odd.

Gadget carefully tried the door, but the lock was tough and he knew the only way through it would be to use force – which would raise suspicion. He extended his cybernetic ear and pressed it against the door, listening carefully.

Alexandra's voice began to come through, softly, as if she was whispering to someone:

"_We don't have to worry about that...I know what to do next, my darling. It's all working... soon you'll be just like you used to be..."_

She spoke again, but this time her voice was too soft to amplify, and Gadget retracted his ear and it silently slid back into place.

"What is she doing in there?" he murmured, then he stepped back from the door and looked around at the way the roof slanted downward on all sides, the tiles were thin and smooth and climbing could prove dangerous as well as noisy...

He wasn't here to endanger himself, only to discreetly look around.

And the only way in to the house would be on the ground, through the door...

Gadget activated the helicopter hat again and stepped off the roof, closing his eyes tightly as a moment of fear grabbed him, along with a thought that perhaps the blades would not work and he would fall to his death because of a glitch...

_But those were old worries._

The blades turned and he landed gently on the path beside the house.

As the blades retracted back into his hat, he darted towards a shadowed wall, where he waited and listened to be sure he had not been detected, and then he made his way around to the back door.

"Go go Gadget skeleton key," he said in a low voice, and as the key slipped from his fingertip, he slid it into the lock and turned it, silently unlocking the back door. The key slid back into his finger once more, and he turned the handle and opened the door.

The kitchen was bathed in silver moonlight and the house was still, no sound could be heard but the ticking of a clock on the wall as it measured the minutes as midnight passed by.

Gadget went through the kitchen and out into the hallway, paused and listened, and then made his way up the staircase.

As a floorboard creaked he froze, listening again, but no sound came from the upper level of the house, and he continued to climb to the top.

The upper hall was in darkness.

He briefly switched to night vision, saw nothing out of the ordinary, and then set his vision to scan on thermal imaging. The powerful scanners built in to the back of his cybernetic eyes lit up as he looked around, his gaze penetrating walls as he quietly made his way towards the closed door at the end of the hall. This had to be the door that led up to the attic and the roof garden beyond...

Gadget's eyes were still burning bright with the thermal imaging as he took in a deep breath and carefully tried the end door.

It opened easily, revealing a narrow wooden staircase.

Gadget stepped inside, took the first two steps and then paused, listening again as he heard the sound of her voice drifting downward.

No second voice replied, and she spoke again in soft tones.

Gadget continued to listen and then he climbed to the top, finding another closed door. He fixed his gaze on it, scanning through and applying thermal imaging:

There was only one person in the room, he could make out the image of Alexandra illuminated.

Gadget blinked.

"_Scanners off,"_ he whispered, and his vision returned to normal, causing him to struggle with a moments blindness before his eyes grew used to the gloom once more.

He checked the key hole, but the key was in the other side of the door, blocking the view and he knew if used a gadget to knock it out, she would surely investigate and find him standing there...

Gadget made his way back down the stairs quietly, then went into the front room and hurried over to the book case.

He pushed the book with no title on the spine and as it revolved to reveal a second set of books he spoke in a whispered voice:

"_Go go Gadget mini torch, Go go Gadget camera."_

And as a small light glowed from his fingertip, he adjusted a dial around the light and it widened, illuminating the books. A third hand extended from his hat holding a small camera, and took two shots of the contents of the book case before disappearing back into his hat once more.

Gadget flexed his fingers and the torch disappeared, then he hit the hidden lever and the case revolved once more. It turned back with a faded groan in the way only an old mechanism could, and he turned sharply for the door.

The hallway was in darkness and he hurried down it, tried the door and found it to be securely locked from the inside. As he fumbled with it he heard footsteps in the upper hallway, so ran back to the front room and unlatched the window, opened it and quickly jumped out.

He pushed the window closed once more and darted off down the pathway, turning off the main path, out of sight of the cemetery keeper's house, and then kept going, following winding paths that led him past graves and crypts until the house was far behind him and he was surrounded by monuments illuminated ghostly by moonlight.

He paused to catch his breath, then looked left and right and felt a mild flicker of panic as it hit him just how big this place was; for a second or two he had felt as if he had got himself lost in a labyrinth...

Then he walked straight down a connecting pathway and saw the gates in the distance.

"_At last!"_ Gadget said, and gave a relived sigh as he began to head for the gates and the place beyond at the side of the road, where the Gadget Mobile was waiting for him.

As he reached the tall gates, he remembered he had flown over to get in. Here, on the other side, in order to use the helicopter hat, he would need a space to run up to the point of take off, and the only place to do that would be on the main path, in plain sight of the cemetery keeper's house.

He had no choice about his method of escape, even though it was something he was sure he would _never_ completely master the use of...

"Go go Gadget springs," he said, and springs shot out from the soles of his shoes, bouncing him high in the air. As the spiked tips of the gate rushed at him, he slammed his body sideways, putting out an arm to shield himself as he sailed over.

There was a crack and considerable pain as one of the spikes glanced his sleeve and dragged against his arm, tearing clothing and scraping at cybernetic flesh, then he was down on the other side, and up, as he bounced again and again and struggled to regain his balance.

As he stopped bouncing, the springs retracted and he was back on his feet, the sleeve of his trench coat ripped and the shirt beneath it torn and staining pale red as blood and cybernetic fluid leaked out.

He clutched at his arm and went over to the Gadget Mobile, got into the drivers seat and plugged in the wiring beneath the screen.

The face lit up at once, staring at the slight of him clutching his wounded arm.

"What happened?" the car exclaimed.

"A slight accident. Brenda can patch me up, it's nothing major."

"I hope Brenda sees it that way too," the car warned him, "Because I don't think she will be too happy with you, getting all scratched up like that and sneaking about in the middle of the night!"

Mild pain was stinging at his injured arm.

"I'll tell her in the morning," Gadget replied, silently hoping he would get home and find his family still sleeping, so that he could dress the wound himself and use the hours until daybreak to come up with an excuse for his injury.

"I _hope_ you haven't landed yourself in trouble!" the car remarked, and then the engine roared into life and they drove away from the cemetery.

* * *

Next morning, after having no more than two hours sleep, Gadget woke up after sleeping in pajamas to hide his wounded arm and found Brenda was already up and dressed and talking on the phone.

"Yes," she said, "That's great news – I'll be sure to tell my husband when he gets up, I know he's very keen to speak with him. And I'll be in to see the patient in around thirty minutes, I'm leaving now."

Then she ended the call, just in time to turn and see Gadget sitting up stiffly in bed.

"Good news," she said, too caught up in thoughts of work to notice a brief look of pain on his face as his sore arm throbbed, "Felix Todd is awake. The cybernetic fluid must have kicked in rapidly overnight; he's healing well, he's fully conscious, he's talking, alert...this is wonderful news! I'm pretty sure you'll be able to come over and see him later on today. If there's a problem I'll call you, but it's all sounding positive so far."

And she kissed his cheek, grabbed her purse and hurried out the door.

Gadget waited for the front door to close and then he took off his pajama shirt and looked down at the wound to his upper arm. He had gone straight into the bathroom on returning home, and washed and bandaged it, but now blood and cybernetic fluid was seeping through the dressing.

He got up, heard Megan call out that she was going outside to wait for Riley, he told her to have fun and then went into the bathroom, locked the door and stood before the mirror.

Gadget peeled off the dressing and inspected his arm – it was not a pretty sight; cybernetic flesh had been torn and metal plating glinted silver beneath it as fluid slowly oozed out.

He headed for the shower, planning to clean himself up, dress the wound again and later on go over to visit Felix, so he could finally give him that apology that was so long overdue. He hoped by then he would have a convincing excuse to explain away his wound before he asked his wife to fix the tear in his cybernetic skin, because so far he hadn't come up with anything remotely believable...

* * *

Bess had been overjoyed to hear that Felix was finally recovering. She had rushed back to the Braydon Hospital after snatching a few precious hours of rest at home, and when the call had come through to say that Felix was awake, her first reaction had been joy, but then it was mixed with guilt as she wished she had stayed there long enough to be at his side when he opened his eyes. She knew she had to rest, she understood the importance of taking care of herself in order to be able to give the very best of her care to Felix, but all the same, the guilt was there.

On arriving back at the hospital, she had been on her way up to his room when she bumped into Taylor Braydon, who greeted her with a big smile.

"You may not know this yet, but its good news – Felix is awake!"

She smiled fondly at Taylor.

"Of course I know, I'm his next of kin. I got the phone call this morning."

"I haven't been in to see him yet," Taylor added, "But I want you to know that I'll be supportive to both of you. Take as much time off as you need. I've put you on extended leave for the next few months on full pay - Felix too."

And as she looked at him, Bess wanted to hug him.

"That's so kind of you, Taylor!"

"Well I know there's a chance he may not be able to come back to work, but if that happens, I'll make sure you're both comfortable. And don't worry about his medical bill – I'm taking care of that too. I just want him to recover."

And then his eyes lit up.

"I know what happened was terrible, but out of that, I've gained _another_ cyborg brother!"

Bess felt mildly confused, but smiled back at him all the same.

"_A brother?_ Oh I see, you mean Felix..." And then she smiled, "I'm sure he'll be um... _surprised _at the very least to know he's now your _brother,_ Taylor..."

And Taylor's big goofy grin got wider.

"_Every_ cyborg is my brother!" he declared, "And who knows, in time, he might want some _more_ man metal... I know you're very nicely decorated with cosmetic mods, Bess...but when he embraces the love of man metal, all I can say is, you'd better get ready for it!"

She looked at him in confusion.

"For what?"

"Insatiable sex that lasts all night long!" he confided, lowering his voice, "_That's_ the secret of man metal – women can't resist it! It won't be long before he becomes your _robotic love machine!_"

And Bess laughed softly, imagining how Felix would have reacted to Taylor's remark. He lacked the patience to tolerate him at the best of times and she could only imagine how he would have reacted if he had heard him say that...

"I don't think you should mention anything like that just yet, he's still recovering," she replied, "And I'm on my way to see him now. I'll tell him what you said about the financial situation. I'm sure he'll appreciate it as much as I do."

"Well I'm always here to help," he reminded her.

"Thanks," Bess replied and then she walked away, heading for the room where her lover was resting.

* * *

As Gadget sat waiting in the Chief's office, he loosened his tie and drew in a breath as he looked down at the evidence he had placed on the desk:

_The books found by Robo Gadget, and a print out of the pictures he had taken last night showing the vast collection of cybernetic science books..._

As the Chief came into the room he closed the door and sat down , then looked across the desk at Gadget with impatience in his eyes.

"This had better be good. You said you want a search warrant for the cemetery keeper's house? What for?"

Gadget slid the evidence across the desk.

"These were found by accident, sir. Actually Robo Gadget stumbled across the books – but I'm the one who took the pictures of the whole collection. She keeps them in a revolving book case - volumes on robotic and cybernetic surgery. It _could_ be relevant."

The Chief frowned as he looked down at the titles and then turned his attention back to Gadget.

"So she keeps books on cybernetics. So do many people. I've heard Taylor Braydon keeps his own vast library on the subject over at the Braydon mansion – but that _doesn't _make him a suspect, that makes him an enthusiast."

Gadget gave a sigh. He had never expected this conversation to be an easy one, because the Chief had his own opinions and those opinions were difficult to sway, but he tried to explain the situation as he saw it:

"I believe the cemetery keeper is the Body Snatcher. When we discussed the message on the wall of the crypt, she spoke about it being written in blood. How could she know that unless she wrote it?"

The Chief shrugged.

"Maybe she guessed it looked like blood? Gadget, I can't provide you with a warrant to search that woman's house! She's a _victim_ in all this, there's no evidence to suggest anything else!"

_"But there is."_

The Chief's gaze hardened and Gadget looked at him nervously, knowing there was a chance that, when he had explained, he would be yelled out of the room.

"I overheard her having a conversation. But she was alone! I know it because I used my scanning and thermal imaging to confirm it. She was alone in her attic room talking as if another person was there."

"That doesn't mean a thing! A lot of people out loud when they're alone, maybe she was trying to remember a shopping list, perhaps she was reading a book – or maybe she was on the _phone_, have you thought of that possibility, Gadget?"

And Gadget gave another sigh as he shook his head.

"Sir,_ please_ hear me out – she's involved. I know it because every instinct I have as a cop is telling me –"

"Instinct?" the Chief cut in, "We can't go around accusing people based on _instinct,_ Gadget! I've met Alexandra. I _don't _believe for one moment that sweet, quiet woman would ever do anything to disturb the bodies at her cemetery or do something as terrible as what happened to Dr Todd. She's not even strong enough to inflict the kind of injury he suffered, who ever hit him in the lab shattered part of his skull! Are you telling me she's strong enough to do that?"

"It depends what she hit him with, sir. Among the surgical tools stolen from the lab was a solid steel temperature monitor used to gauge the inner functions of an open cyborg or android abdominal cavity – it's around the same weight as a house brick. That's enough to inflict that kind of damage. She wouldn't have needed to hit him with a lot of force; it would have been like a blow from a hammer!"

The Chief glanced down at the evidence again, and then looked back to Gadget.

"No," he said flatly, "I _won't_ consider that woman a suspect. I need you to run through public records, look for a more likely culprit. Search through some old files we have on black market gangs who've been known to steal cybernetic and android parts. That might throw some light on the situation."

Gadget stood up, holding back on much more that he wanted to say.

"Just find the Body Snatcher," the Chief added, "If you look hard enough, I know you'll catch him. But _please_ stop following leads that go nowhere. She's not a suspect. I see no evidence, certainly not enough for a search warrant."

Gadget nodded.

"Yes sir I'll get on to it right away, I'll start looking at _other _possibilities," he said quietly.

"Good," the Chief replied, and then Gadget turned away and walked out of the room.

As he closed the door of Quimby's office, anger burned in his eyes.

He walked away towards the exit, wanting to do nothing more than jump into the Gadget Mobile and just drive and keep driving to get the tension out of his cyborg body.

Gadget knew he was right, even if the Chief refused to see it.

And he also knew there was only one way to prove it, too:

_He would have to go back to the cemetery keeper's house and find out what she kept hidden behind the locked door of the attic room..._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

By the time Gadget reached the Braydon Free Cybernetics Hospital, his anger had calmed.

After leaving his meeting with the Chief he had felt infuriated to think the suspect was right in front of them, but Quimby refused to believe it. And then Gadget had thought about Felix Todd and remembered he still owed the man an apology - and that had been enough to put everything else into perspective:

He couldn't really consider Quimby's refusal to agree with him about the case as having a bad day.

Felix Todd had woken up in pain with permanent wiring inside his skull to repair terrible damage – _that_ was a realistic definition of a _truly_ bad day...

Gadget could still recall waking up a cyborg and feeling not only fear and confusion but a sense of loss. While it was true cybernetics had saved his life, it had also changed his life forever. He didn't need to access the recollections of the other timeline to recall how he had felt over his own cybernetic transformation – in _both_ timelines he had been destined to become Gadget, a seventy percent cyborg, and he still sharply felt the loss of much of his human body if he thought about it deeply.

Thinking about those difficult early days was something he rarely did, preferring to concentrate on the present where he had adjusted to a happy life – but as he approached the door of Felix Todd's room, the memories were painfully sharp. He knew it would be difficult to go into that room and see him lying there in pain as his body adjusted to the partly cybernetic changes, because Felix was the man who had given him a copy of his own face...

Gadget took in a deep breath and reminded himself this was about Felix, and the past belonged locked away.

Then he opened the door and walked into his room.

He didn't see a man who looked just like him; Felix seemed so different now as his weakened body trembled and he tried to focus as his right eye emitted a light from within as the cybernetic connection began to adjust.

"Hello Felix," Gadget said quietly, "I wanted to come and see how you're doing."

As he walked over to his bedside he watched for a flicker of anger, but saw none.

Felix was in a bed that seemed far too big for him, he was propped up by pillows as wires snaked from his body to the monitors that surrounded him. His head was bandaged and his face deathly pale. He struggled to focus on Gadget as the light shining from his right eye turned so bright it looked entirely robotic as his pupil remained frozen wide open, the inner light taking its time to settle and begin to function.

"Gadget..." he complained in a hoarse voice, "I feel like I've been hit by a truck!"

It came as a relief to hear Felix speaking so clearly – and even finding the strength to complain, a sure sign that he was still very much the man he knew so well.

Gadget took a seat at his bedside.

"It wasn't a truck. Someone broke into the lab and you decided to be a hero."

Felix briefly closed his eyes as he fought against pain, then he opened them again and his right pupil was still artificially lit, the inner eye so bright Gadget could see the tip of the wiring within.

"Is that hurting you?" he asked, gesturing to his eye.

"No, "Felix replied, "Brenda's given me some good stuff. I don't know what she put in those eye drops but I could sure do with some more of it for the rest of my body!"

Gadget smiled.

"I know what you mean, cybernetic work _is_ painful until it settles down. But you're healing fast, you just don't know it yet."

Felix took in a breath sharply as his eyes filled with tears.

"My memory's damaged. I keep trying to think of my work and its like I can't get the formulas together, I can't remember how I did my job...I've lost something...and _this_ won't stop...!"

As he spoke, he glanced down at his trembling right hand.

"That's the brain to body connections healing." Gadget told him, "In time it will get better. I don't know if it will stop completely but it _will _improve."

Felix rested heavily against the pillows that supported him.

"And no one will ever come to me for a metallic tattoo again!" he said tearfully, "What's going to happen to me? I can't remember half of the stuff I used to do at the lab - and my hand won't keep still, so I can't even use my skills for body art, either!"

"Give it time," Gadget told him gently, "You will make a recovery."

Felix looked at him, and as he focused, Gadget noticed the light in his eye was dimming as his pupil began to shrink.

"I think this has finished me off in every way," Felix said, "I understand _exactly_ what's happened to me - partial electronic brain, back up memory – I've had a part of me cut out to stop me dying from a brain injury, there's not much of a future for me after something like that!"

Gadget reached over and grasped his hand.

"Felix, I've been in your situation. I had it much worse than you. I had more than half my body replaced."

Resentment burned in his eyes as he looked at Gadget.

"But I've had a large part of my human brain taken away! I know what my chances are of a full recovery – very low indeed! I'll never lose the tremor in my hand, I'll never be able to work in cybernetics again, I can't find half of what I'm supposed to know, it's like it's been wiped out!"

Gadget paused for a moment, and then spoke gently to him.

"Do you remember we had a fight the day before you got attacked at the lab?"

Felix looked into his eyes and now his pupil was almost matching his unaffected left eye.

"I don't blame you for getting mad at me. I gave your daughter a tattoo and she didn't tell you about it first...I guess I'd react in the same way if I had a kid who did something like that."

"I'm sorry," Gadget told him, "I came over to the lab that morning to apologize, and I found you on the floor."

Felix gave his hand a squeeze.

"Forget about it," he said fondly, "That's nothing to ruin a friendship over - besides, you don't hit too well for a seventy percent cyborg, you didn't even punch me out completely, I was still standing!"

And then he smiled, and so did Gadget, but only briefly as he then wondered what else Felix could recall.

"I think your memory's functioning better than you think it is," Gadget told him, "Your speech is fine and you can remember our fight. Can you remember what happened when you disturbed the intruder at the lab?"

Felix closed his eyes again, taking in a deep breath as he fought off a wave of pain. Then he looked down at the button near his other hand and quickly pressed it, releasing a dose of morphine into his IV.

"I know I've had major cybernetic work done. I knew it before Brenda explained; I _feel_ like my heads been split wide open!"

And his hand shook in Gadget's grip, but then he took a couple more deep breaths, and focused on him once more.

"It happened so fast, all I remember is seeing someone robbing the lab and I grabbed hold of them and tried to stop the equipment being taken. We fought on the floor and..."

He paused, struggling to pull together shadowy memories.

"_And she must have hit me with something."_

Gadget stared at him.

"What did you just say?"

Felix blinked, and the artificial light in his eye vanished as the rapid healing took over and his pupils became even once more.

"I said I don't remember much about it, I can't seem to get the whole picture of what happened. It's just bits and pieces."

"You said _she_."

The pain relief was making him feel sleepy. Felix blinked and focused on Gadget.

"Yeah, I _think _the intruder was a girl."

"Would you recognize her face again?" Gadget asked, hoping he now had enough evidence to go back to Quimby.

But Felix gave a weary sigh.

"I don't recall her face. I don't recall anything else."

Gadget nodded.

"That's enough for me to work on," he promised him.

Felix was starting to look tired. He blinked slowly, dragging his eyes open again as he tried to keep his gaze fixed on Gadget.

_"That bitch has destroyed my life,"_ he murmured, _"I hope you find her."_

Gadget gave his hand another squeeze and then let go.

"Don't worry," he said softly, "I'll find her, Felix."

And Felix gave a sigh and closed his eyes, then began to drift into a deep sleep where the pain could not reach him.

As Gadget turned to leave, the door opened and Bess walked in.

"Inspector," she said in surprise," I'm so glad you're here."

And she looked over at Felix and saw he was sleeping deeply and then lowered her voice.

"Did you get a chance to speak to him?"

Gadget nodded.

"First thing I did was apologize. He took it so well. I still feel bad about what happened, though."

Bess reached out and gently touched his arm and her touch brought back a flood of memories of the other timeline, those memories came back so sharply it took all his self control not to allow her to see the tears that were threatening to sting at his eyes as he looked Bess, the woman who, in another time and place, had been the love of his life - even though here in the altered future, she would never know that...

"Thank you for coming to see him," she said quietly, "He's not in a very good way, I mean physically he's doing well – the cybernetic connections are starting to work and the healing is speeding up too – but emotionally, he's very down. It's difficult to see him like this, it's like he's giving up on life."

"I'm sure he won't do that," Gadget replied, "He's got you."

As he spoke those words, he felt an ache in his heart as he recalled the other timeline and how Bess had nursed him through terrible injuries.

"You can get him through it," he promised her.

Bess stepped closer and gave him a hug.

He heard her stifle a sob as she pushed her face against the shoulder of his trench coat and placed his hand on the back of her head, gently stroking flesh and metal - and instantly regretting it as he recalled all the times he had caressed her in the other time.

That ache was still in his heart as he let go of her.

"I have to go," he said, "I need to get back to work on the case."

Bess nodded.

"Let me know if you get any new leads."

"I will," Gadget promised, then he turned away and walked out of the room, he kept walking, all the way down the long corridor until he stepped into the open elevator, then he hit the button, closed the doors and selected ground floor.

As the elevator began to descend, he gave a weary sigh and blinked away tears.

He wanted to access the stored memories, just to relive holding Bess in his arms, to remember the feel of her, the scent of her body, and the warmth of their closeness as they lay together in damp sheets that smelled of sweat and oil...

_But it would feel too close to cheating on Brenda._

He considered again the option to delete the other past from his back up memory, but cancelled that thought, still clinging to the fact that in another time and place, that _had_ been his life, and he couldn't bear to part with those recollections, it was all he had left of it...

Then the doors opened and Gadget stepped out and headed for the exit, thinking only of cracking the case now:

_Felix had just given him all the information he needed._

_Now he was going back over to the cemetery keeper's house and this time, he would be demanding answers..._

* * *

As the Gadget Mobile headed off down the highway, the phone rang.

Gadget gave a sigh, hoping it wasn't Quimby, because to withhold knowledge of this evidence would make him feel guilty, even though he was conducting this investigation because he was sure his instinct was right.

_But it wasn't the Chief._

He recognized Penny's number and answered the call quickly.

"Hi Penny, listen - I'm really busy, honey – I'm on my way over to Steel Temple, I need to talk to the cemetery keeper again."

"So ask Gadget Mobile to drive, _I_ need to talk to _you._"

He gave a sigh as he looked down at the screen.

"Take over," he said.

"Will do," the car replied, and Gadget sat back with his hands off the wheel while the car took over the controls.

"What's wrong?" Gadget asked.

"Nothing really," Penny said, "It's just that Sanford told me you kept the memories of the other timeline. I wondered if we could talk about that together, maybe you could come over tonight? I just want to be sure it's not too much for you, walking around with all those bad memories of another past inside your head."

Gadget's eyes briefly narrowed as he thought of Sanford and his inability to keep a secret when he had a drink inside him.

"I'm guessing _booze_ was involved when he told you about it?"

"Yes, but you could have shared this with me! I'm worried about you!"

"There's nothing to worry about; I kept the other set of memories simply because I retained all recollection of the other timeline when the time machine brought me back. I've put them away in my internal storage –"

"And you can access them any time you want?"

"Yes, but I don't."

"Please come over tonight, I want to talk to you about this properly."

"Maybe. I'm working on a case, I'm trying to catch the person who assaulted Dr Todd, and Quimby's not listening to me so I'm very much on my own with it at the moment. I _might_ come over later – or tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks - and Uncle Gadget, I'm only concerned because I love you. I don't want you keeping bad memories that have no basis in our reality, I just want you to be happy."

"I _am_ happy. And we'll talk later," he promised, and then he ended the call.

The gates of the cemetery were in sight.

"Park off the road," Gadget told the car, "And keep out of sight. I'm going to keep this as brief as I can, she's guilty and I want to establish the facts, find the evidence and take her into custody faster than I can say _Go Go Gadget handcuffs!_"

And as the cuffs shot out at his wrist, he gave a sigh and shook his hand, sending the cuffs back into place once more.

"I always forget, every time I say Go go –"he paused, and then added, "I _won't_ say it!"

The car turned off the road, drove between the heavy shade of nearby trees, and parked in a clearing.

"This won't take long," Gadget reminded the car, and then he jumped out.

_"Gadget, wait!"_

He turned back to the car.

"What now?"

"Don't you think you should call the Chief and tell him about this?"

"Quimby won't listen to me!"

"But you might need backup. How about I call him for you?"

Gadget walked back over to the car and leaned inside.

"Stop interfering with the way I'm working on this case! I _know_ I'm right but Quimby won't listen, so it's up to me to _make_ him listen!"

"By putting yourself in danger?"

"_I'm not in danger, I've got my gadgets."_

The face on the screen looked up at him as Gadget leaned down and looked hard at it.

"I _still _think we should call Quimby." said the Gadget Mobile.

"That's it, that's enough!"

"_Gadget, NO –"_

He tugged on a connection, unplugging a wire and the screen went dark.

"Sorry about that," Gadget said to the deactivated car," But I need to do this _my_ way!"

And then he turned away and hurried through the clearing, crossed the road and approached the open cemetery gates.

* * *

The afternoon was warm and bright and the steel monuments looked shiny, as if the whole place was bathed in a glow that echoed the optimism of the coming of the cybernetic age.

As he passed more graves, Gadget reflected on the fact that becoming a cyborg did _not_ guarantee immortality, it did in theory lengthen lifespan and improve health, but cyborgs were still part human, they could get sick, they could get injured – they could still die, there were enough graves in this place to confirm that...

Gadget made his way to the cemetery keeper's house.

As he walked up the path, he saw a curtain shift, then a shadow duck back. By the time he reached the front door he was sure of her guilt, and also sure the only thing left to do was establish it and make an arrest.

The motive for her actions was the only missing piece of the puzzle, but he felt confident after almost two decades as the town's number one crime fighter that the facts wouldn't be hard to establish once he questioned her...

She opened the door and smiled, running her fingers through tumbling fair hair as she looked at him.

"Inspector, what a surprise – do come in!"

And she stepped back, and Gadget entered the house.

As she closed the door she spoke again.

"I hope you've got some good news for me, I'm sure I'll never feel safe in this place again, not until he's been caught."

"Actually I need to speak with you; I'm not done with questions yet. Can we go and sit down?"

"Of course," she said, gesturing to the door that led to the front room, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll make us some coffee."

Gadget was about to say he didn't have time for coffee, but she turned sharply and hurried off towards the kitchen.

He stood in the hallway for a moment and listened, but heard no sound, and then he cast a suspicious glance up the stairs, but decided to question her before making a search of the house.

Gadget went through to the front room and sat on the sofa, looking around at the seemingly ordinary room as he got the oddest feeling that he was missing something that was _very_ relevant to the case... It was nothing visual, nothing he could even put into words. There was just _something_, and he couldn't figure out what it was...

Alexandra came back into the room and set the coffee down on the table. Then she sat beside him and looked at him intently.

"You need to ask me more questions, Inspector? I can't imagine why..."

Gadget looked intently at the attractive blonde who was no older than thirty. Her gentle voice and soft expression seemed so convincing, yet he knew there was something else behind it, but couldn't figure out what it was...

"I need to ask you some more questions."

"But you asked me everything last time."

"No," Gadget's voice had hardened, "I didn't ask you enough. I need to know where you were on the morning Dr Todd was attacked."

Her eyes widened.

"I was here! Where _else_ would I be, my cemetery's been vandalized, the dead have been disturbed – how do you think I feel, knowing I could do nothing to prevent it?"

She was protesting her innocence convincingly, but as he thought back to the night he had heard her talking in the attic room, he knew he was right. Even if she started to cry as she insisted she was innocent, he knew he had to regard it as no more than a clever act – he had always handled women suspects carefully in his time as Inspector, but this was one occasion where he knew he couldn't ease up on the questions, because he knew he was close to the truth – what ever that truth turned out to be...

"I'm sorry I have to pursue this line of inquiry, but so far the evidence seems to be pointing to you or possibly someone you know. You told me you live alone here. Is that true?"

And she paused, blinked away tears and shook her head.

"My fiance was in an accident a year ago. He's crippled; I take care of him here at home."

Gadget chose his words carefully.

"Because this is a police investigation, I _will_ need to see him, just to confirm what you've told me. And I'd like to know why you lied to me when I first came to see you. I'm willing to let that go if you give me honesty."

She drew in a heavy breath as a pained look filled her eyes.

"I met Jason two years ago. He worked in monument design. In fact some of the gravestones and crypts here at the cemetery were his designs. Then he was involved in a road accident. He was crossing the street and a car was going too fast and they either didn't look, or couldn't stop in time...he'll never recover, that's what I was told. But I haven't given up hope. I have faith that one day cybernetics will be able to help him."

And she managed a smile even though sorrow filled her eyes and as she stopped speaking, Gadget felt a chill run down his spine, although he still wasn't quite sure why he felt so uneasy.

"What's his full name?" he asked.

"Jason Tate," she replied.

"And you care for him here at home?"

She nodded.

"I can manage; I fit in caring for him around my working schedule."

"But if he needs constant care that must be difficult."

"No," she replied confidently, "I cope very well."

Gadget wondered if perhaps he had got her all wrong; now he knew about her fiance it shed a completely new light on her situation, even making him wonder if perhaps Quimby was right – that she was _not_ a suspect after all...

Then she paused, sadness reflected in her eyes and for a moment Gadget said nothing as she blinked away tears.

"I'm sorry this is difficult for you," he said," But I _will _need to see him."

She slowly nodded.

"Of course, I understand. It's just procedure. And I want this nightmare over with, I want the person responsible caught – the last thing I'd ever want to do is get in the way of your investigation."

And she got up and went over to a cabinet, unlocked it and opened up a drawer.

"I've got some pictures in here, of Jason before his accident. I'd like you to see them."

"Okay," Gadget replied, hoping that she would feel a little easier about introducing him to her fiance if she sat down and talked about him first.

She carried a small box over to the window and then set it down, reaching inside as she continued to speak:

"This won't take a minute...I just need to find the right pictures..."

She was standing behind him.

Gadget didn't look around, knowing she was upset and guessing any offer of help might set her off crying, she was talking as if she needed to keep busy, and to do so alone.

"Take your time," he said, "I can wait."

"_Sorry."_

As a sharp pain sunk into the back of his neck, Gadget gave a sharp gasp, but taking in air did nothing to lessen the throb as he reached up in time to feel a needle being drawn out of his skin.

"I'm sorry," she said again, walking around to the sofa with the needle still in her hand, "But you wouldn't leave it alone. I can't let you stop me, I'm too close to success!"

Gadgets hand was still on the back of his neck as he stared at Alexandra. The room was starting to spin and as she leaned closer, her image blurred.

"_I injected you with a cybernetic relaxant. Don't worry - it won't kill you. And when you wake up I'll be in complete control of everything. You won't even miss the parts I take out... just remember somebody else needs them much more than you do..."_

Gadget struggled to speak but as his hand slipped away from his neck his body grew weak, and then her blurred image fell to darkness and he knew nothing more.

* * *

After dinner, Megan checked her watch and looked across the table at her mother.

"Dad's working late tonight..."

"I'm sure he is, Quimby's pushing him to find Dr Todd's attacker. He's got a lot of pressure on him at the moment."

Megan frowned.

"But he _never_ misses dinner."

"And he hardly ever has such a serious case to work on," Brenda reminded her, "Riverton's been crime free for years. Having something as serious as this happen is worrying, nothing bad ever used to happen in this town. So when it does, people want a fast result."

Then Brenda left the table and looked at the clock on the wall. She knew Gadget was now an hour late, which was most unlike him, he usually hurried home, keen to have some time with his family – it wasn't like him to work late without calling home first to let her know everything was okay, either...

"Maybe he went over to see Penny," she suggested, and then she picked up the phone and called her number.

Penny answered right away.

"Uncle Gadget?" she said, and Brenda's heart missed a beat as she wondered why her husband was not where she expected him to be.

"No, this is Brenda – have you seen Gadget today?"

" I haven't, but I did speak to him on the phone, he said he had some work to do and then he might come over, I asked him to see me after work -"

"So he must be working late."

"I guess so," Penny replied, "I tried his phone but it went to divert. And I tried calling the phone in the Gadget Mobile, but that was on divert too."

Alarm bells were starting to ring in a way that Brenda couldn't make sense of, nor did she want to try to work it out, because she didn't want to jump to the wrong conclusion and worry Megan.

She looked away from her daughter as she walked over to the window, focusing on the view of rolling waves hitting white sand.

"Did he say what he was doing when you called him? Was he busy, was he in the middle of an investigation?"

"He said he was going over to Steel Temple Cemetery," Penny replied, "But that was hours ago. And I called the police department just after five thirty and they said he hadn't been in. I even spoke to Sanford in the control center and he told me Gadget deactivated the link to the Gadget Mobile just after mid day. He doesn't do that unless he's deep undercover."

Brenda glanced at her daughter, who watched her with anxious eyes, and she forced a smile to set her mind at ease.

"Penny, is Sanford home from work yet?"

"He got in ten minutes ago and went upstairs for a long soak in the tub."

"I think you should run this past him," Brenda replied carefully, "Just see what he makes of it. I'm sure Gadget's fine – I mean, he's like a walking hardware store, he can take care of any situation!" And she laughed nervously, and then added, "I'm at home with Megan. I just think you should run it past Sanford and see what he makes of it."

There was a pause, then Penny's voice darkened.

"_You think he's in danger?"_

"Possibly," Brenda replied, "So you should let Sanford know and maybe _other_ relevant people..."

"Like the cops?"

"Exactly." Brenda confirmed, keeping composure for Megan's sake, "Call me back when he shows up, okay?"

"Don't worry, I know what to do, Brenda," Penny said, and then she hung up.

As she turned from the window, her daughter was standing there fixing her with a look that said she demanded the truth.

"What's going on, Mom?"

Brenda forced another smile as she looked into Megan's eyes, recalling how her daughter had been so badly affected by her fathers illness, how she had never stopped worrying about him since...

"Your Dad's working late," she said, "And then it looks like he's going over to visit Penny and Sanford – that's what he said on the phone when Penny called him. She's going to let us know as soon as she hears from him."

Megan's eyes were still filled with concern.

"Why hasn't he called us?"

"He's very busy working on the case," Brenda replied, "It's nothing to worry about."

Megan slowly nodded, and Brenda felt the weight of her guilt immediately, because she hated to lie to her daughter – but anything was better than telling her the truth _– that she was afraid Gadget might be in serious danger..._

* * *

Sanford was relaxing in a bath filled with warm water and soft bubbles and his eyes were closed as he enjoyed the peace and quiet, and looked forward to a long rest in the tub before relaxing with Penny and making plans for the weekend.

Then the bathroom door burst open and he sat up sharply, gasping for air and grabbing the sides of the bath tub, before he remembered he had not let himself drift _that_ deeply away...

"I didn't fall asleep!" he protested.

But Penny ignored his remark as she grabbed a towel.

_"Get out of the bath, fat boy – I think my Uncle Gadget's in trouble!"_

Sanford got up and stepped out of the bath, Penny thrust the towel into his hands and he started to dry himself.

"What's going on? How could Gadget be in trouble, he'd call for back up?"

Penny's eyes were blazing with the same kind of fierce protectiveness that had burned ever since she was a child and her Uncle John had become Gadget, the Inspector.

"Maybe he didn't get the chance. When did you last hear from him?"

"He hasn't used the radio today. I know he turned off the car link because it registered as manual shutdown –"

"_When was this?"_

Sanford grabbed a bathrobe and threw it on.

"I don't know, after lunchtime – why are you so worked up? I know Gadget as well as you do – if he thought he needed backup, he'd call in! You have no idea how much pressure Quimby's been putting on him to solve this case!"

"I _do_ know, "Sanford replied as he left the bathroom and crossed the hallway, "I've heard all about it at work – Quimby wants the Body Snatcher caught now, no delays, no excuses. He seems to think Gadget's some kind of super hero – he forgets he's actually a _man_ with machine attachments, who happens to work in a sometimes high pressured policing job!"

And Sanford went into the bedroom, opened up the wardrobe and took out a dark suit.

Penny stood there as he began to get dressed, while she thought hard about where her Uncle could have gone.

"Maybe you could go back to the control room and try and get him on the internal wire."

Sanford was buttoning up his shirt.

"But I just came off duty –"

"So dismiss the cop who's on late shift and take his place, you can do that, you're main controller!"

Sanford was dressed now.

He grabbed his jacket and kissed Penny's cheek.

"I'll do that, I'll get over there right away."

Then he hesitated, giving her a questioning look.

"Where was he going when you last heard from him?"

"Back to the cemetery," Penny replied, "Maybe he thought he could find some more clues – perhaps that's what he did, and he's gone off to follow a trail of evidence!"

Then her optimistic tone was gone.

"I wish I could come with you."

"But you can't," Sanford reminded her, "Riley's out with friends, and if we leave SJ with Brenda, Megan's going to know something's up – we can't have Gadget's daughter worried, that girl almost had a break down when he was ill."

Penny nodded.

"You're right," she agreed.

Hope shone in Sanford's eyes.

"Don't worry – I'll find your Uncle!" he promised, and then he hurried off down the stairs, pausing to snatch up his car keys from the hallway, before dashing out the front door.

Penny stood by the window and watched as he drove away from the house. She thought of her Uncle Gadget and her heart ached.

_"Please find him safe and well,"_ she whispered, as Sanford's car seemed to grow smaller as it sped off into the distance.

* * *

Gadget slowly dragged his eyes open.

The drug was wearing off but his body felt like a dead weight and movement was almost impossible.

He looked up and saw the high beams of the attic, then he recalled the cemetery keeper injecting him and he gave a heavy sigh.

"You _won't_ get away with this," he said weakly, "I don't know what you're planning to do with me, but I will be missed, they _will_ come looking for me."

Alexandra was standing over him.

The tall blonde woman looked down at him with cold eyes as she began to speak:

"This is a cemetery, Inspector Gadget. But not _all _the graves are filled. I'm sure I could easily find some discreet storage space for you."

Gadget took in a frightened breath, but little air reached his lungs as panic gripped him. He weakly struggled but soon gave up the fight, he was strapped down to a table and weakened by the drug and had no way of activating his gadgets.

A message was blinking at the back of his mind:

_Gadget Mode locked down_.

"How did you turn off my gadgets?" he demanded as he looked up at her.

"With this."

Gadget's eyes widened as she raised a small, narrow tool with a hooked end.

"That's a surgical tool...you stole it from the lab..."

"Yes I did," she replied, "Along with a lot of other useful tools. I've been waiting for the chance to finish my project, and as a living, heavily modified cyborg, you've given me the perfect opportunity!"

"What project?"

She said nothing as she briefly turned away. Gadget heard a clatter as she put the tool down on a metal tray.

"_What project?"_ he demanded again.

She turned back to him and fear flashed in his eyes as he caught sight of the cybernetic scalpel in her hand.

_"I won't cut your human flesh,"_ she told him, _"I'll just open you up along the artificial seam."_

Gadget looked down, saw he was naked from the waist up, and as the blade bit in to his chest, he gave a frightened cry.

"No...Stop! You _don'_t want to do this, you wrote to the Chief and asked him to catch you, I think you _wanted_ someone to stop you!"

But a slow smile spread across her lips as she ran the blade down his chest, slicing the left side and then the right, separating skin from the microchips in the center of his chest.

"I just wanted to know exactly how stupid the authorities are," she said, "I mean, when my Jason was injured, they told me there was _nothing_ they could do! They refused to help him! And when I went to the police, they told me no crime had been committed! What right did anyone have to refuse the man I love a chance? He'll have his chance now."

Gadget dragged in a breath as she grabbed hold of the slit open cybernetic flesh and peeled it back, exposing machinery and inner workings entwined with living human organs.

His breath was coming in short bursts as he focused on the ceiling and tried to think of all the reasons he had to ensure he got out of this alive:

_Brenda, Megan, Penny, Sanford._..

Alexandra had her hand inside his chest, brushing fingers against moving cogs, making him cough as he fought to regain control and stop the panic from swallowing him.

"I think," she said, briefly testing the tightness of bolted down inner workings, "This circuit will be perfect for my project."

"_What_ project?" he whispered as he looked up at her with frightened eyes.

"The most important project of my life - repairing my fiance," she replied, "He's over there..."

And she stepped aside.

He turned his head, and then saw a bed across the other side of the room and a man lying on top of it.

Or at least, what was left of him:

_He was looking at a mummified corpse, skin and bone broken up in places by clumsily welded in cybernetic bones. The chest cavity was open and a titanium heart was set into it, lights flickering to confirm the electrical signal was pulsing through wiring, even though that wiring led into dead tissue. Part of the jaw bone had been wired, cybernetic eyes had been set into empty skull sockets and wiring was pushed deep into rotting brain tissue._

Gadget's eyes were wide as he stared in shock at the sight of the machine parts forced into the remains of the corpse.

"He's dead," he said in a hushed voice, "You're fitting parts into a corpse, you _can't _reanimate a dead body!"

Alexandra looked down at him and as she smiled sweetly, he knew for sure he was dealing with a maniac.

"Yes I can," she assured him, "He just needs a few more body parts – I'm going to take those from _you_."

And then she turned away and walked out of the attic room, locking the door behind her.

As Gadget fought to breathe the stench of death finally reached him and he turned his gaze away from the corpse, focusing once again on the ceiling as he reminded himself why he needed to get through this and stay alive:

_Brenda, Megan, Penny, Sanford..._

He finally managed a full breath and as he let it out slowly, he kept those he loved firmly in his thoughts.

"_Please,"_ he whispered, _"Someone...find me, help me..."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Note: **

**This chapter contains scenes that may be uncomfortable for those who dislike claustrophobic situations**

* * *

Chapter 8

As Gadget lay tied to the table, he thought about his internal wire and wondered if it still worked.

He knew his gadgets had been switched off, but the internal communication device was a separate transmitter, powered via link up to the electronic part of his brain – and as his brain was still functioning, it made sense that the wire would also be working...

He drew in a breath and glanced to the door to be sure it was still firmly shut, and then he spoke quietly:

"_Open police channel..."_

There was a hiss of static and Gadget waited for a response, but there was none.

His hopes for rescue sank abruptly as he recalled he had switched off communication to the Gadget Mobile – and had not radioed in to say there could be a problem, so the control center would just assume he had opted to turn off the sentient car for a while...

The static still hissed in his ear, sounding as bleak and empty as wind over wilderness.

The clicks and beeps from inside his body, sounds that were usually muted, seemed so much louder because his artificial skin had been peeled back, reminding him that his life could be over at any moment when that crazy woman returned to remove wiring essential to his cybernetic body function.

_"Come on!"_ he said under his breath as he started to sweat and his breathing grew shallow, _"Please, open the channel!"_

Then the static cleared and he heard a familiar voice.

"Gadget? Where the devil are you?"

He breathed a relieved sigh as he blinked away tears.

"Sanford – no time to explain – I'm locked in the attic room of the cemetery keeper's house, it's located at Steel Temple – she's crazy, I'm in the attic with a dead body, she's trying to reanimate a corpse and she wants to cut out my wiring!"

"_Hold on."_

Sanford's tone had been abrupt as he briefly silenced the line.

Gadget knew he was calling all units to the scene, but even though he would only be gone for a minute or two, he knew that wait would seem like hours and as the silence lengthened, his fears began to grow once more.

"Sanford?" he said anxiously, "Where are you?"

The line was still silent.

"_Sanford!"_

The seconds passed by.

"Sanford!" he said again, and there was a click as the line opened up once more.

"Okay Gadget – listen, help is on the way. Do _not_ allow the suspect to find out about your communication wire. If she comes back, go silent. Do _not_ endanger yourself!"

Gadget drew in a shaken breath as more sweat ran off his face.

"_She's sliced me open and exposed my robotics. She wants to take out circuitry...its too late for me to avoid risk!"_

"I'm right here," Sanford reminded him, "I'm the voice inside your head. I won't leave you, so you're not alone in this. Remember I'm here. I'm going to amplify pick up to extend past your voice, so I can record everything she says. Help's on the way."

Gadget gave a gasp as the key turned in the lock.

"She's coming back!"

"Help is on the way, Gadget," he repeated, "Hold on..."

And Gadget briefly closed his eyes, wishing he could cling to Sanford's words – but the line had fallen silent as he listened on the other end, and Gadget knew he could say no more to his closest friend because the attic door was opening...

* * *

Over at the control center, a quiet evening had turned into chaos as every available squad car was diverted over to the cemetery.

Chief Quimby had stood and watched the large illuminated map as cars began the journey over to Steel Temple. Then he turned to a cop seated at a nearby control station.

_"I want road blocks set up. I want an exclusion zone around that place, and keep calling out for more officers, we need every available car over there immediately!"_

Then Quimby went into the main control room where Sanford sat looking down at the small screen watching as the cars raced towards the cemetery.

"Help's on the way," Sanford took off his head set and handed it to the Chief.

"Let's hope they reach him in time. I'm recording all incoming conversation. You'd better listen to this."

The Chief put on the headset and as he heard the cemetery keeper begin to speak, his face paled.

He handed the head set back to Sanford.

"Stay on the line. Be there for him, no matter what happens."

"Of course I will!"

As Sanford put the headset back on, Quimby left the room and closed the door behind him.

There was a look of panic in his eyes as he addressed the officers working main control.

"_I want more cops down there, I want them down there now, there's a man's life at stake!"_

* * *

The cemetery keeper stood over Gadget with wire cutters in her hand.

"You won't feel any pain," she promised him, "You're more machine than man, its just like taking a radio apart."

Gadget drew in a shaken breath.

"My circuits control a _lot_ of things, power to my nervous system, my electronic brain function, even partly to my ability to feel so _yes_, it _will_ cause me pain. My life is dependent on my cybernetic system!"

She leaned closer and her soft hair trailed over his bare shoulders, brushing against the small amount of human skin he still had left.

"I didn't _want_ to use you for this," she softly,"I wanted to spare you."

And she ran a fingertip slowly down his cheek.

"But now," she added, "I have to use you for spare parts. It's your fault, you should have kept away."

Gadget was shaking but he wasn't sure if it was noticeable; he felt it as a shiver inside more than something that outwardly rattled him, but as he fixed his gaze on her, he thought of those he loved and how he had to survive this situation, no matter what happened...

"I know why you wanted to spare me," he said, "I saw it in your eyes the first time I came over to the house. Maybe we could still work something out if you let me go. I understand why you did those terrible things, Alexandra. It was grief that drove you to it. I can explain that; I don't want a pretty girl like you going to jail. So how about you untie me so I can seal up my cybernetic chest unit? Then we can talk."

She looked at him intently.

"Talk?" she wondered.

"That's right," Gadget was still sweating as he continued to speak, "You and me, we can sit down and talk...or lie down, if you prefer...just _please_, put me back together first!"

Fear reflected in his eyes as he looked up at her.

"I don't want to die, Alexandra. And I know Taylor Braydon, the cybernetics billionaire - you must have heard of him? I'm sure he can help you to bring back your fiance. We can discuss everything if you let me go."

He felt a small spark of hope as the expression changed in her eyes, she paused, considering all he had said.

Gadget spoke up again, hoping to further change her mind:

"Remember when you showed me the crypt and I had to walk away?"

She nodded.

"I think it was nice of you to offer," Gadget told her, "I mean that."

And as he looked up at her he hoped he looked as convincing as he was trying to sound, because he was trying to speak as if he was _not_ terrified for his life...

"Of course I remember," she replied, "You didn't want it."

"I didn't want to think about it," he said, "I was sick eighteen months ago. I was sick because of the first cybernetic fluid transfusion I was given after I became a cyborg. It was toxic, but that took years to come out. I had a bone marrow transplant, my best friend was my donor, he saved my life. It wasn't easy for me to go through that, especially not watching my wife Brenda and my daughter Megan getting so scared for me, that was the hardest part."

And inside his head, he heard Sanford speak up through the internal wire:

"_Clever boy!"_ he said in a low voice, _"Engage her in conversation, make it personal...I think she's connecting..."_

And those words spoken by his closest friend gave him such comfort it was as if he had been there in the room, with his arm around his shoulder as he spoke.

Gadget drew in a deep breath and chose his words carefully, to relay a hidden message to Sanford:

"_I can tell I'm reaching you, Alexandra._ You're not a bad person you're a compassionate human being. I've been through enough; I just want to go home to my family."

She leaned closer to him.

"I know you do," she said softly, and Gadget could feel her breath on his face.

She ran her hand over his hair as she looked into his eyes.

"I won't kill you," she whispered, and as she briefly smiled, she added:

"I've got enough knowledge to take out the parts I need and keep you alive. But I'm afraid you won't be able to go home again, Gadget. I'm sorry about that..."

Gadget took in a sharp breath.

"Please, I need to go home – I fought so hard to stay alive so I could be with my family. Please let me see them again."

"_Don't fall apart,"_ Sanford said inside his head, _"If you do, you won't be a match for her. Hurry up and get this situation under control, Gadget – I want you back with us too, I'm having a dinner party on Friday and it wouldn't be the same without you!"_

And despite his fear, Gadget briefly smiled.

"It _wouldn't_ be the same without me," he said aloud.

And confusion clouded her eyes as she looked at him.

"But I can't let you go," she told him, "Not after I've taken parts of you out."

"Why don't you just _buy_ cybernetic parts?" he asked, "I know they cost a lot but wouldn't that be better than ripping them from living cyborgs?"

Alexandra straightened up, glanced over at the body of her lover and shook her head.

"No," she replied, "I need to have the pre-existing wiring already in place inside the components because I'm not an expert..."

She looked down at him again and shrugged, adding:

"Besides, no cybernetic expert would agree to bring my fiance back. So I have to do it myself and that means wiring included – meaning, second hand parts."

Gadget felt another chill sweep through his human-machine body as he looked at her and thought again how utterly insane she was.

"_But if you let me go I could help you."_

She frowned.

"No," she said dismissively, "I don't think you would. I think you'd have me arrested, you'd have the man I love buried in the ground, too!"

"But he's _dead_, its where he belongs!"

Gadget knew at once he had said too much as she glared at him angrily.

"You're writing him off too! How hypocritical, for a man who comprises seventy percent machinery and calls it his body!"

"Gadget, _don't _make her angry!" Sanford warned him, "It's _not _a time to push your luck. Keep playing on her sympathy. Tell her how hard you fought to stay alive, tell her how much your family love you..." Sanford paused, and when he spoke again, his voice trembled as he fought back tears:

"_Tell her how much you mean to your best friend, too."_

Gadget's eyes stung as his vision blurred with tears as he focused on Alexandra's face.

"I want to see my family again. I want to see my best friend, too. Sanford is more like a brother to me, he saved my life when I needed a bone marrow transplant. Its made us closer than ever. He would do anything for me...You know what it's like to love someone, I know you loved your fiance, I understand why you can't let him go. But if you kill me, my family will have to go through the same kind of pain, and Sanford, too! If you know how it feels to lose someone you love, _why_ would you want others to suffer that?"

She shook her head.

"I don't want anyone to suffer," she said quietly, "But I _do_ want the man I love back. I know cybernetics can bring him back! And don't try telling me its not possible, because you're _seventy percent_ cyborg! You _must _have been a corpse when you were rebuilt into machinery!"

Gadget stared up at her, wondering if there could be any more crazy statements to be heard from this insane woman.

"You've got that wrong," he told her, "Cybernetics is about preserving and improving human life – it's _not _about bringing back the dead! I was critically injured but on life support, I was still alive when I underwent cyborg conversion. And I wasn't built into a machine. It's the other way around – machine parts were built into my human body, to replace what I'd lost. No one would put robotic parts into a corpse. The parts would work, but the human tissue wouldn't function."

"_Gadget,"_ Sanford warned softly inside his head, _"Don't anger her..."_

But it was too late, he could see the look in her eyes had changed to one of hostility.

"_I will bring him back!"_ she said sharply.

"You might as well tie string to his arms and legs and use him like a puppet – the guy is _dead!_"

"Gadget, _stop _it!" Sanford said in alarm, "She's insane, don't do anything to anger her!"

And then she heard the wail of sirens in the distance.

She looked up towards the boarded up window, listened harder as the sound grew nearer and then looked down at Gadget.

"I think they've come to look for you," she remarked, "They won't find you here."

Gadget drew in a breath and suddenly it was easier to take in air.

"I think they will, Alexandra. They'll search the house and come up here and bust open that door. It's over. Let me go, let me explain for you before this goes too far and Quimby gives a shoot to kill order."

She stepped away from him and drew a silver device from her pocket.

As he stared at it she smiled.

"I've got that covered, Inspector," she said, activating a remote control.

As a false wall slid across the room, blocking off the rest of the attic, he felt panic begin to rise once more as she activated a second mechanism, and a wall panel slid back, revealing an elevator.

"It's not over yet," she told him, "You're coming with me. They'll search the house and find nothing, and you won't even be here. Like I said, this is a big cemetery, and not _all_ of the graves are filled."

Gadget gave a gasp as she gave the table a push and he began to slide towards the elevator. As she steered him, walking along side, she continued to speak:

"No one will ever find you," she repeated, "I told you before, you're not going home..."

Then she wheeled him into the elevator and closed the doors.

* * *

As the elevator began to descend, Gadget could do nothing but fight to breathe as the walls seemed to close in and the journey downward continued.

"The man who built this house was very clever," she told him, "He designed the house to have a system to carry the dead from the house to a tunnel underground that leads out into the cemetery, because many years ago before this was a cyborg cemetery, it was intended for human use - and this house was a funeral parlor."

Gadget briefly closed his eyes, taking in a difficult breath as he hoped Sanford was still on the other end of the line, taking in all that had been said.

"Why bother giving me the details?" Gadget said in a hushed voice, "Are you expecting me to take note?"

"_Got it."_ Sanford replied through his internal wire, and Gadget clung to the fact that as long as the wire worked both ways, there was still hope.

"I just want to make it perfectly clear you'll never be found," the cemetery keeper replied, "The tunnel opens up in the north end of the cemetery. It's vast, there are hundreds of graves and crypts out there, and some go very deep. I'm going to seal you in an airtight underground crypt."

The doors opened into a dimly lit tunnel that seemed to have no end.

She wheeled him out and began to push him along the tunnel, still talking as they went.

"Your people will arrive at the front entrance, that's a _long_ way from where we are going."

Gadget didn't know if it was cold because they were so deep underground, or if it was simply down to the fact that he was terrified, but he trembled and felt like his body was turning to ice from the inside out, then he managed to speak up again:

"You said this place was airtight. I'm a cyborg, I'm not an android, I can't survive without air!"

"I'll put you on oxygen," she replied, "That should give you forty minutes. I just hope your cops are done with their futile search by then."

His throat was tightening at the thought of the tomb, of being buried alive, of meeting his death so soon after he had fought so hard to stay alive. It was only his determination to survive that gave him the will to speak again.

"This crypt...is it the one you offered me, through the clearing, past the other graves, the ones you broke into?"

"No," she replied, "It's almost a mile from there. It's ten feet below surface. A very large crypt with more than four chambers. It was one of the first ever built here, but it's been closed up for a long time because I haven't had a buyer for it yet."

"_Hang in there Gadget,"_ Sanford said inside his head, _"I got all that and it's being relayed to the police at this very minute."_

Sanford's words seemed to stay in his head as he remembered he stood every chance of getting out of this situation alive - if he kept calm and got as much information out of the cemetery keeper as he possibly could...

"Does this crypt have a name or will you just call it _Gadget storage space?_"

She wheeled him sharply around a corner and at last, he could see the dim light in the distance, where darkening skies were giving way to night beyond the tunnel.

"It's just a crypt," she replied, "A very deep underground place where you won't be found."

And suddenly they were out of the tunnel and on to a pathway, she wheeled him through a clearing and past monuments, coming to a stop by a wide, white marble structure.

"They won't find you in here," she said, and unlocked the door and switched on a light.

It flickered and dimmed, but as she pushed him inside he soon realized there was a platform here beside the stairway – it began to descend, deeper into the earth.

He thought of Sanford and tried to pull together a question that Alexandra wouldn't spot:

"I hope I'm not going to deep; I can be _very_ claustrophobic – I'll start to feel as if I'm disappearing from the world..."

"You are," she replied, "That's why I'm hiding you, because I need your parts."

And then Sanford spoke up in his ear:

_"I can still hear you loud and clear - and I have an idea, too. Wait until you're alone and then we can talk."_

Gadget said nothing in reply as she wheeled him into a dimly lit corner of a small chamber.

She paused to lay out his cut open cybernetic skin neatly, folding it back to expose his robotic chest.

"When the police have gone," she told him, "I'll be back to take out some of your wiring."

And then she reached beneath the table and placed a cylinder against the wall. As she turned the valve there was a hiss of air, and then she placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

"Breathe slowly," she advised him, "That air won't last forever, and if I come back and find you dead, that means I'll have to go out and get myself another live cyborg. So _try_ to keep breathing."

And then she walked out of the chamber, hit a button and the door slid into place heavily as lights flickered.

* * *

Gadget drew on the air, waiting for her to reach surface before he could be sure it was safe to speak aloud to Sanford.

Moments later, the voice of his best friend came through loud and clear:

"Has she gone?"

"Yes," Gadget replied, his voice partly muffled by the oxygen, "She's gone now."

"I have relayed everything that's been said through to the cops," Sanford told him, "There's a fleet of squad cars arriving at the cemetery any minute now. Quimby's about to leave too, he's coming over to join the search. I've managed, based on what I heard, to narrow your location down to precisely one mile at the north end of the cemetery – but there's a lot of graves, many crypts...and you only have forty minutes."

Gadget drew in a shaken breath.

"_Don't remind me!"_

"Listen to me, I have an idea," Sanford said.

Gadget's breathing sounded shallow, echoing in the dimly lit room as he fought for air and Sanford spoke up again.

"Stay calm, stay with me and focus! I can help!"

"But if they don't find me in forty minutes –"

"That's what I'm getting to, now _please_ listen! I remembered when you got sick and you had the radioactive implants – you had to divert all power to your shields to keep the radiation locked in, do you remember that?"

"Of course I do..."

"So here's the deal," Sanford told him, "You still have control over your two way inner communications device, so all you need to do is make it one way, sending your signal out to me. You'll have to dump some spare memories from your filing system and shut down the two way communication but that should enable you to give out enough power send out a signal. But I need to know where the Gadget Mobile is."

"It's parked in a clearing across the road from the cemetery gates...but how do you know all this?"

"I just remembered what you did when you had to divert power to lock down your shields with the radiation treatment. Then I asked the Chief if you could relay a signal by diverting power and he rang the cybernetics center and their scientists said yes, it _can_ be done. So start dumping the spare memories – divert them to your removable memory card in your arm. Then we can -" he hesitated, and Gadget felt a flicker of fear.

"One minute," Sanford told him, and the channel fell silent, the seconds ticked by and then he was back on the line once more.

"Okay – Gadget Mobile's found, wiring's back in place, the car's ready to lock on to you. Start dumping the memories."

Gadget felt an ache in his heart.

"Penny told me I didn't need memories of two timelines locked away inside my head."

"Well now you can move the recollection of the other life into the memory card," he replied, "Do it _now_, Gadget – while we still have time on our side."

Gadget closed his eyes and took in a slow breath, focusing on the electronic screen at the back of his mind.

"Access corrupt file system," he said, "transfer all to external memory card."

A message blinked up at once:

_Confirm action?_

"Confirmed," he agreed, and as the memories were transferred, Gadget felt a tingle shift down his arm to his inner wrist where the spare chip was stored in a removable device.

"It's done, Sanford."

On the other end of the line Sanford gave a relieved sigh.

"Great, we're halfway there. Now I need you to divert remaining communication power to distress signal outgoing. This will split the two way flow, you won't be able to speak to me but I will be able to talk to you, so you will still hear my voice."

Trapped alone in the gloomy, airless room, Gadget blinked back tears.

"You won't be able to hear anything I say?"

"No, because the power divert will be carrying your signal to the surface. But you can still hear _me_ speak, and I will keep on talking to you until the cops find you and get you back to the surface."

"I'll be alone..."

"But I'll _still_ be here," Sanford reminded him.

Gadget took in a couple more breaths of air, then spoke in a hushed voice:

_"Divert power from inner comm system – send out going distress signal..."_

And a screen flashed behind his eye, counting down from three.

As it hit zero, he knew his outgoing line to Sanford had been silenced.

Gadget gave a sob as he lay trapped in the dark, and Sanford, unable to hear him, spoke up again:

"I'm still here, Gadget. There's no sign of your signal yet, but you are far underground so this will take a few minutes. Try and stay calm, I'm with you, I won't leave you."

And Gadget sobbed again, hearing Sanford's words but no longer having a way to reply to him. He had never felt so alone in the whole of his life as he waited in the darkness and wondered if he would ever see daylight again.

* * *

As Chief Quimby prepared to leave and join the others over at the cemetery, he was alarmed to see Robo Gadget rush into the control center, followed by Dr Kramer.

"What is the meaning of this?" Quimby fumed as he looked at the android," You're not a cop, you're someone who helps out when Gadget has spare time on the job –"

"I heard on the news there's a swarm of cop cars heading for Steel Temple. And I picked up on the radio that Gadget's been taken hostage!"

"What radio?" asked the Chief.

Kramer spoke up nervously.

"He asked me to build him a little radio a while back – he didn't mean any harm by it, you know how badly he wants to be a cop...He just wanted to listen in on a police radio –"

If it had not been for the urgency of the situation, Quimby would have yelled the roof off the security center. Instead he just glared at the scientist.

"You allowed him to gain access to _police_ calls?"

"He didn't mean any harm!" Kramer protested.

"I want to help!" Robo Gadget added, smiling as he flashed big teeth.

"You can't," the Chief replied, "This is an emergency..."

And he began to head towards the exit.

Robo Gadget followed and so did Kramer.

"Wait!" Robo Gadget said urgently, "There's a back way into that place – I studied it on a map."

"What map?" the Chief asked.

"Just a normal map of Riverton." The android replied, "There's a back way in – a small gate - it goes into the north end."

"That's where the cemetery keeper's trapped Gadget!" the Chief exclaimed.

And Kramer couldn't help smiling.

"He's got the makings of a good detective," he reminded Chief Quimby.

The Chief had no time to waste as he made his decision.

"Okay, you're coming with me – but keep out of trouble!"

Robo Gadget smiled again and his dark eyes lit up excitedly.

"I'm with you, Chief – let's go!"

And Robo Gadget hurried on ahead of the others, keen to get started on the rescue mission.

"Look after him," Kramer said to Quimby.

"My concern is Inspector Gadget!" the Chief replied, and then he walked away, heading for the exit, leaving Kramer behind to worry about Robo Gadget, who was so excited to be taking on his first real case, and under dangerous circumstances too...

"Please stay safe," Kramer said quietly, as he thought of the android, but Robo Gadget was already outside, the Chief was getting into his car and seconds later there was a squeal of tires as the Chief's car sped away with the siren wailing.

* * *

Brenda had waited anxiously for the phone to ring, and when the call had come, she had sat down and listened tearfully as the officer on the other end of the line explained the situation.

She was promised they would call back as soon as there was any news, and then the call had ended.

And Brenda had sat alone thinking of Gadget, wishing she could do something to help and feeling powerless because she could not.

Then she had looked up to see Megan standing in the doorway.

"What's happened to my Dad?"

Her voice sounded small and frightened, much like it had when her father had fallen sick.

Brenda knew she could hold back on the truth no longer, and began to explain carefully:

"Your Dad went over to Steel Temple to question a suspect and they took him prisoner. But half of the Riverton PD are on their way over to get him back. He's safe, he's able to talk to Sanford via his internal wire, he hasn't been harmed and they should be getting him out of there really soon."

Megan took in a shocked breath as her eyes filled with tears.

_"I want to go over there!"_

Brenda got up and walked over to her, as she looked at her daughter her heart ached for the pain she saw in her eyes. Nothing hurt Megan more than concern over her father...

"He's going to be okay," She promised her, "The cops _will_ get him out of there. He's going to be fine. Please believe that."

Megan blinked and tears ran down her face.

"This isn't fair, why did this have to happen to my Dad?"

Brenda put her arms around her daughter and held her tightly.

"_It happened because your Dad is Inspector Gadget, Megan. It's his job and sometimes it gets dangerous."_

And then she hugged her again.

"He will be okay," she promised, keeping her daughter close as she said a silent prayer that Gadget would get out of there, that he would be coming home again...

* * *

The cemetery keeper left the crypt and hurried up the path, heading for the turn that would lead on to the main path that would eventually lead to the house.

As she ran her eyes grew wider as she spotted cops in the distance – on the roof terrace of the house. _The door was open, on the side she had blocked off..._

"Oh no!" she said breathlessly as she stopped and stared towards the house.

"_NO!" _ she yelled, realizing the false wall had been quickly detected and slid back... her thoughts were with the body of her dead love, who was so close to cybernetic completion... _They had him, they'd found him and would take him away..._

Then a shadow covered her as someone leapt from the shade of nearby trees, slamming her to the ground and knocking the breath from her body.

She fought for air as he rolled off her, and then gave a cry of alarm as her hands were secured behind her back with cuffs.

The cemetery keeper turned her head to see Robo Gadget looking at her with eyes glittering darkly.

"You're going to jail!" he said menacingly.

Then as Quimby ran on to the pathway he stopped, caught his breath and then stared at Robo Gadget.

The android hauled Alexandra to her feet and then smiled at the Chief.

"I've busted her!" he said proudly.

The Chief looked at Robo Gadget, and slowly nodded as it dawned on him the android did indeed have the makings of a fine detective.

"Well done," he said, and then he stepped closer and glared at the cemetery keeper.

_"Where is Inspector Gadget?"_ he demanded.

She looked back at him with defiance in her eyes.

"Find him yourself!" she said bitterly.

Then a cop dashed up to the Chief holding a small device that showed a steady signal on a small screen.

"Sir, the Gadget Mobile's linked up to the Inspector's distress call – he's here... _somewhere._.."

The Chief looked around at the sea of crypts and monuments that stretched on for miles.

"Where?"

"We don't know yet," the cop replied, "The signal's getting stronger, but it's taking its time...he must be down deep."

And Quimby's eyes darkened as he looked to Alexandra.

"Where _is_ he?"

She shook her head.

"Looks like nobody wins this time," she remarked.

The Chief's eyes filed with rage.

He took the tracking device from the cop and gestured to the cemetery keeper.

"Get her out of here!" he snapped, and as the officer led her away, he looked down at the device in his hand, holding it out as he slowly turned around, hoping the signal would suddenly strengthen.

"What do we do now?" Robo Gadget asked him.

The signal was still weak.

"We wait." The Chief said in a hushed voice, "But I don't know how long we can afford to do that – he's running out of air..."

* * *

Alone far below ground, Gadget gave another sob that no one could hear as he tried to breathe slowly on the oxygen, knowing the tank would soon be empty. The dim lights flickered and all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing as Sanford talked to him through the wire, having a one way conversation just to remind him he was not truly alone.

"So what's happening now," Sanford told him, "Is this: Alexandra's being brought in to custody. But she's not talking. That doesn't matter, the Gadget Mobile's picked up your signal and all it has to do is grow in strength and then we can find you..."

He paused, and suddenly emotion took over.

"I want to ask if you're okay but of course you're not, you're probably scared out of your wits...I know I would be... You're the best friend I ever had, Gadget. You will always be my closest friend. I'd change places with you if I could. I wouldn't like it, but I'd do it to spare you. I mean that, you've been through enough. I remember the day you came back through time to tell me to change my ways. I did it and I've never looked back. Whenever I have a reason to remember how grateful I am for this life I have today, I always think of you. And I won't let you down, I'm here now and always, you will never be alone, even when this is over."

And he laughed softly.

"I'll still be the voice in your head, playing around with the simulator's rockets... we'll have all our laughs again, Gadget. Don't worry, I'm on the line until you get out of there. And you will get out; I'll make sure of it. You're going home to Brenda and Megan, and Penny's going to give you a big hug and say she's so glad you're safe. You'll be back with your family in no time, my friend. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I'll talk to you until you see daylight again."

Gadget stifled a sob as he drew sharply on the oxygen.

_"Thanks,"_ he said tearfully, speaking aloud even though Sanford could not hear his reply, _"Keep talking...I don't want to be alone down here...just talk to me..."_

"And I was thinking ahead," Sanford remarked, "About the weekend, I want you to come to the dinner party and forget all about this awful day, I need you there, Gadget, like I said before it wouldn't be the same without you. Let's talk about that, shall we? Might take your mind off things..."

_And Sanford kept on talking, unable to hear Gadget's voice, not knowing he was weeping as he waited in the dark and silently prayed for rescue..._


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Note:**

**This chapter contains a brief scene that some readers may find claustrophobic**

* * *

Chapter 9

Sanford's voice was coming through loud and clear as Gadget lay trapped in the darkness.

"Obviously I won't say _too_ much about the past or about the turn my life could have taken, not on a recorded line – but your advice changed my world, Gadget. You and that time machine. I remember I despised him at first, this older version of me who was so desperate to put the world to rights. But you both got through to me. And here I am now, living a life I'm proud of. And I only got Riley back because of you. I'll never forget that day that changed so much, it was the same day you put my son in my arms and I looked in his eyes and vowed I'd make a better life. I've got so much to thank you for, Gadget."

Sanford paused.

In the brief silence the hiss of the oxygen seemed too loud as Gadget took in a breath, and then wondered how many more breaths he would be able to take. _The oxygen tank would not last forever. _

He knew there had to be some air in this room – but not much and it wouldn't take long for him to start to suffocate. He felt as if he was on the verge of suffocation already, but how much was real and how much was in his mind was unknown; he had been fighting to breathe ever since the cemetery keeper had trapped him down here...

Gadget didn't want to think about how far down he was, or how high up above and far away rescue could be.

_But the thought of the tons of earth on top of the crypt was starting to creep into his mind._

Then Sanford spoke up again and his fears shifted back a little as he listened to the sound of his best friend's voice:

"Don't worry, Gadget. I don't know if you're staying strong but I hope you are. Be assured that I _will _keep on talking to you until rescue comes. I won't leave you alone down there. By the way, Brenda's been informed. I'm sorry, I know you would have preferred to spare your family the worry but you know what Quimby's like for procedure. Brenda and Megan are being brought over here by police escort. And there's a plan already in place for as soon as we get you out – You're being taken over to the cybernetics center and Brenda's going to check you over just to be sure you're okay. Then you can go home. Don't worry about statements, the Chief's already said that can wait for another day – what matters is getting you out of there, making sure you're unharmed and then sending you home, so you can be with your family and get over this."

As Gadget took in another unsteady breath, he wondered if he could ever put these terrifying events in their proper place and move on from it all - throughout his career he had always been so confident when dealing with suspects – he had certainly not expected a softly spoken, slender woman like Alexandra to prove such a dangerous adversary. He had underestimated her, and greatly, to his cost...

"I wish you could hear me," Gadget said aloud as he thought of Sanford, "I don't want to –"

He stopped, cutting off his own words because to voice them aloud would be sure to send him into a spiral of panic. _He had almost said, he didn't want to die alone..._

Then Sanford spoke up once more.

"It won't be long, Gadget. As soon as we pick up a clear reading on the direction of your signal, you're getting out of there."

Gadget took in a sharp breath that was cut off by panic as he heard the hiss of oxygen begin to fade out.

"Sanford!" he said aloud, but then remembered again that Sanford could not hear him.

His best friend was still talking through the communication wire in his head:

"I'm still here, Gadget. This may be a comfort to you or perhaps I'm driving you nuts, I have no way of knowing – but try to remember you've faced far worse, you were on the brink of death and you came back as a cyborg. You've faced that. Death tried to stare you out and he lost badly. _You won't go under now_. Five minutes, maybe ten...help is coming."

Gadget breathed in, hearing only the sound of his own breath as the oxygen tank ran empty. He breathed again, trying not to think about no air, not enough air, how far down he was, how many layers of earth separated him from the surface above...

_It was getting harder to breathe._

Gadget shut his eyes tightly as his heart raced and he took in a slow breath.

Little air seemed to reach his lungs but it was enough as he focused on slow breaths, he was trembling and sweating as his heart raced but he knew he had to keep hold of control over his breathing. Because if he lost that, he would be panicking and breathing too fast and the air that remained in this room would be gone...

The oxygen mask was now smothering him as he tried to take a breath. The air in the room seemed to be growing thin and Gadget struggled in vain to get free of his bonds as he wondered how much longer he would last.

His head began to feel light and sparks pricked at his eyes. A tingling sensation was creeping over the thirty percent of his body that was still human, and he knew panic was to blame for that. He tried another slow breath, taking it in gradually, even though his lungs were screaming for more, for the air to reach deeper.

"_Gadget they've locked on to your signal! Sixty seconds...and counting till they reach you..."_

He took in another breath that barely reached the middle of his chest and then heard a boom as the door above was broken down.

Then as the electrical hum of the descending platform drew nearer, he felt cold air begin to filter into the chamber, and then finally there was a shaft of dim light from above as the platform reached the ground.

As the oxygen mask was removed from his face, Gadget was too busy focusing on taking in air to notice what was happening around him, but as he was untied, he finally moved his hands, reaching for the open cybernetic skin.

"Seal it up, I'm fine..." he said breathlessly, "Nothing was taken out, my parts are all there..._please_ seal it up, I can't do it, I'm shaking.."

"Okay sir," a female medic replied, and as she slid both sections of skin back into place and began to apply pressure to encourage the seal to close, he felt slightly more in control to know his cybernetic workings were covered up and the artificial skin was back in place.

Gadget was helped to sit up and he looked down at his bare chest where skin was sealed and saw illuminated microchips working perfectly; he was back together, at least in his body...

He couldn't feel the floor beneath the soles of his shoes as he stood up.

"_Let me help you, Inspector."_

He turned his head and saw Quimby was standing beside him.

"I can walk," he replied, "Just get me out of this place!"

* * *

They made their way back to the platform and as the medic activated a switch, it began to glide upwards and the dusky evening was still light enough for a view of sky and sinking sun, and Gadget was sure the coming of evening had never looked so beautiful before.

As they reached ground level Gadget leaned against the wall and took in a breath of fresh air. The breeze felt damp on his skin and he took in another breath, then stepped out on to the path and leaned against the wall of the crypt.

Quimby gestured to a waiting squad car.

"Come on Gadget, it's only a few more steps. Your family are waiting for you at the gates."

And Gadget drew in another breath, the air was sharp and it hit his lungs, reminding him he was still alive.

_He had made it; he had got out of that place, he had survived..._

As that thought ran though his mind, his body weakened and he slid down the wall sobbing.

"Come on," Quimby said gently, reaching for him as he pulled him back up again, "Take it nice and slow. I know you've been through a lot. You're shaking. Here, take my jacket."

And the Chief took off his jacket and draped it around Gadget's shoulders, then kept an arm around him as he led him over to the waiting squad car.

* * *

Three hours later, Gadget was on his back on a comfortable bed in a private room at the cybernetics center.

He knew three hours had gone by because there was a clock on the wall and he recalled the time he had been brought in, he recalled it as sharply as he recalled Megan rushing up to him and hugging him as she cried tears of relief, and then Brenda had done the same. Quimby had told him the cemetery keeper was safely in custody and reminded him it was over now, then he had left and Brenda had given him a shot into a cybernetic cable that felt no pain and the drug had sent him into a deep sleep that had for a while, made him forget everything.

_Now the world was coming back into focus and the memory of being trapped deep underground was creeping back._

Gadget closed his eyes and took in a slow, deep breath to remind himself he really was out of that underground tomb.

"I gave you a sedative and while you were sleeping I scanned you just to be sure everything was okay inside. I switched your gadget mode back on, there's no damage - and your cybernetic skin has sealed well, it looks good as new."

Gadget smiled as he heard his wife's words.

"Thanks, Brenda," he said, and opened his eyes.

She was standing next to his bed in her lab coat, looking just as beautiful as the day they had first met – except that now her eyes looked red, because she had cried as much as Megan when they had been reunited.

"I want to go home."

"I'm taking you home as soon as you feel well enough to leave."

He sat up. The drug made him feel slow and heavy but the numbness of shock had left him now.

"Where's Megan?" he asked as he ran his hand through his hair and then stood up.

"I sent her home, I didn't want her waiting about here - she was in real mess, Gadget. You know how she worries about you. But she'll be fine once I take you home."

She handed Gadget a clean shirt. He blinked, noticing it was slightly too big.

"That's not mine."

"You wasn't wearing a shirt, remember? As soon as we got you back here I called Penny and she brought one of Sanford's shirts up here for you."

At the mention of his friend's name, emotion swept over him.

"He kept me alive," he said quietly as he slipped on the shirt and began to button it up, "When I had to switch the power to divert I could hear him, but my side of the channel was down. All I had was his voice while I was trapped down there. He saved my life, he kept me going."

"I know," Brenda said softly.

Then the door opened.

"Uncle Gadget!" Penny said, and dashed over to him and gave him a tight hug.

As she pulled back he saw relief shining in her eyes.

"I'm _so_ glad you're okay!"

He smiled as his heart warmed as he recalled the times she had said that to him – Penny had always worried about him, more in the other timeline than in this altered one... then he slid his shirt sleeve back and turned his wrist over, indicating to a cybernetic seal.

"I dumped the memories from the other timeline. I fed them all into the removable chip. I finally got those memories out of my head."

Penny nodded.

"That's good," she agreed, "You don't need those other memories, Uncle Gadget."

"I know that," he told her, "And now all I need is to get out of here."

And then he finished buttoning his shirt and turned to his wife.

"Brenda, I feel fine," he promised her, "Take me home."

* * *

Next morning Gadget got up early, showered and stayed under the water twice as long as usual even though he had showered the night before on returning home; he still felt as if the smell of that underground place was lingering, clinging to him just like the memory of all that had happened.

Then he put on a bathrobe and went over to the mirror, stood in front of it and paused with the robe open as he ran his hand down his chest.

He could see no scar where the cemetery keeper had opened up his cybernetic skin, but the scar remained in his memory.

He recalled her hand inside his inner workings, feeling between moving parts as she decided which part of him to remove.

It hit him again; _what had she said, that it was like taking a radio apart?_

He felt violated, but pushed those feelings aside as he remembered there was something he needed to do, because he had made a promise to Penny, and he intended to keep it.

Gadget turned his wrist over, slid back a cybernetic seal to reveal a slot that held a memory card.

He drew out the card and closed the seal, then stood there for a moment as he looked down at the chip.

His human mind still recalled the other timeline, but at a distance. Without the chip, he could not replay memories of his other life with vivid clarity; he could not relive battles with Claw, or recall vividly the nights he had spent in the arms of Bess Nightingale...

He glanced at the toilet and thought about flushing the chip away. It seemed the best thing to do, to get rid of it, so he would never play back those recollections again. The other timeline didn't even exist in this reality; there was _no _reason to hold on to it...

Gadget stood there deep in thought as the light caught on the chip set into the memory card.

He knew there would come a time when he would want to put it back in his spare memory device and run through the past, even though it didn't exist in this reality – because once, before the time machine, it _had_ been his reality, it had been memories of his life...

Gadget made his choice:

_He was going to hold on to it._

As he left the bathroom, he went quietly over to the dresser, pulled open the bottom drawer and opened up a small case and slipped the chip inside it, placing it at the back, before taking a blank chip from the front and then closing the box.

He shut the drawer and the slid back the cybernetic skin and pushed the blank chip into his wrist, then sealed the skin once more.

Brenda sat up and smiled, then she noticed he had just reset the seal on is wrist, above the place where he stored his removable memory chip.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Gadget walked over to her and sat on the bed.

"I just got rid of the old chip and put in a spare. I know Penny will be happy when she finds out I finally dumped the memories of the other timeline."

Brenda looked into his eyes.

"I can understand it's for the best if you remember Sanford as a criminal – I can't imagine him being some bad guy called Claw!" And she laughed, adding: "Sanford, who gets drunk at parties? No way..."

"It wasn't just that," Gadget admitted, "It was other stuff too – things were different in the other timeline. I wasn't with you, I don't want to keep those kind of memories close."

There was a questioning look in her eyes. Gadget spotted it and knew at once he had said too much; he had been through a tough time, he was glad to be home, and his guard had lowered a little too much...

"What memories, Gadget?" she asked him.

He gave a sigh.

"It probably doesn't matter now because the other timeline was wiped out, it never happened...Sanford was never Claw, so much bad stuff was erased."

She was looking at him intently and he felt a flicker of guilt, and guessed it reflected in his eyes as she spoke again:

"I don't think this is about Sanford...What is it I don't know about, Gadget?"

And he felt trapped by her question, with no way out but the truth.

"In the other timeline, I wasn't with you. We broke up and I was with Bess Nightingale."

She blinked.

The breeze sighed in through the window and she ran her fingers through her red hair, but carried on looking at him intently.

"What do you mean, _with_? Do you mean you dated her a couple of times, or –"

"_We had a long lasting deeply passionate relationship."_

Gadget wasn't sure if his confession had eased his guilt or deepened it as he saw hurt reflected in her eyes.

"But it was in the _other_ timeline, it's not a part of this reality!" he quickly reminded her.

Brenda was still staring at him.

"And you hung on to those memories for all that time? _Why_, because you still love her?"

Gadget's eyes widened as he looked at his wife.

"No! Of course not! It was simply because those memories – _all _of them – were from _my_ life, even though it's changed now, it was once my reality. That's why I kept the memories!"

Brenda slowly nodded.

"Okay, so you don't love her now?"

Gadget shook his head.

"I care more for Felix Todd than I do for his girlfriend, that man gave me my face – the first ever cybernetic face, a copy of his own! And since he's been living and working in Riverton, we've become friends. You know how I felt when we had that fight – it wasn't about Bess, it was about me doing something dumb and almost losing a good friend over it!"

Brenda fell silent for a moment. Then anger flashed in her eyes once more.

"I remember when Bess had all that cosmetic metal work done and you said to you thought it looked hot! Did she look like that in the other timeline?"

Gadget avoided her gaze.

"_Did she?"_

Brenda's tone was becoming frustrated. He looked at her again, and answered with honesty, even though he was aware in this situation it was definitely _not_ the best policy to employ...

"Yes she did. But she was with me not Felix. And our relationship wasn't quite as adventurous as the one they hare, but we did both have the same liking for her modifications."

Brenda's voice was hushed as she replied.

"I remember you once asked me if I would ever consider having that kind of work done. You _must_ have known the answer would be no, why did you even bother to ask, because you couldn't stop thinking about her?"

Brenda's tone was sharply accusing now.

"No," Gadget replied, "I can't help having the same likes in the altered future, it's all a part of my life – then, now, what was, what is – it's all connected to my recollections."

Brenda gave a heavy sigh and got out of bed.

Gadget stood up and caught her with his arm around her waist, pulling her back to face him.

"It doesn't matter now. It's the past, in a time that's no longer relevant. I'm with you. I _love_ you."

The anger faded from her eyes as she thought about the ordeal he had been through, about how afraid she had been that he wouldn't have got out of the tomb alive.

As she spoke again her voice had softened.

"I know you do, I love you too. But let's not talk about the other timeline and you and Bess; let's just agree to drop that subject forever, okay?"

"Good idea," Gadget replied, and then he held her tightly, feeling thankful this potential quarrel had now been diffused.

* * *

As the morning went on, a sense of normality began to slide back into place.

Megan had been up early and talked a lot over breakfast, asking many questions Gadget could have done without answering, but Megan needed to be sure her father was okay.

And so he had told her:

_No, the cemetery keeper had not removed any of his parts._

_And she had definitively not harmed him._

_He had promised he felt fine, and the whole thing was over and he had put it behind him._

Then he managed to smile well enough to convince his daughter it was the truth, before Megan kissed him goodbye and hurried off to meet Riley, who was waiting in his car outside.

Gadget was still at the breakfast table as Brenda began to clear the dishes away.

"You're late for work," he remarked.

"I thought I'd take the day off. You've been through a lot, you need to stay at home for a while and you need me with you. It wouldn't be a good idea to leave you alone too long, not after what you went through."

And she carried the stack of dishes through to the kitchen.

Gadget got up from the table and followed her, standing in the doorway while she loaded the dishwasher.

"Is this your personal opinion as my caring wife, or as my cybernetic doctor?"

Brenda closed the dishwasher and turned around.

"You went through a distressing experience. It's my opinion in both capacities that you need time off work. I signed you off sick for three weeks to give you a chance to get over it."

Gadget stared at her.

"Excuse me? You signed me off sick without telling me?"

Brenda folded her arms as she faced him, leaning with her back against the dishwasher.

"You were in a state of shock, you'd been through a hugely traumatic experience."

"Many years ago I lost seventy percent of my human body and became a cyborg as a direct result of that – now _that's_ my definition of traumatic, Brenda_! I've been through worse!_"

"But you _still _need time off."

"No I need my job, I need everything to be normal!" he said sharply.

Brenda shook her head.

"I can't change it now honey. I'm sorry, but it's for the best that you have some time off and be with us, you need this time to get over what happened."

Gadget understood she meant well, but was still angry she had made such a decision without consulting him first.

"I'll get over it on my own terms," he said quietly.

"But maybe you won't," Brenda replied gently, "It's better to take things easy for now; you're not ready to go back to work."

Gadget was considering walking out to the hallway and grabbing his trench coat and hat and driving off in the Gadget Mobile, just to prove her wrong – but then a knock on the door echoed down the hall.

"What now?" Gadget snapped.

"Oh, I was meaning to tell you I had someone arranged to come over and speak to you today –"

Gadget glanced back at her as he reached the door.

"Who ever it is, they can take a hike. I'm _not_ in the mood for company!"

Then he walked off down the hallway before she could call him back and explain...

* * *

Gadget was not in the best of moods as he answered the door.

When he saw who was standing on the doorstep, his mood darkened further.

"Hi," said the tall woman with short red hair and a clinging dress that matched her shade, "I'm –"

"You're Allison Montgomery, psychologist with Riverton PD. _Please _don't tell me my wife sent you over here!"

And Allison paused, unsure what to say as Brenda hurried to the door.

"Thanks for coming over," she said warmly, and then she invited her in, while Gadget glared at his wife.

"Please, go through to the front room," Brenda said to her, and as she walked off, Gadget turned back to his wife.

"What are you trying to do to me, Brenda? You think I need a shrink? That'll do wonders for my career, thanks a _lot_, honey!"

On hearing his bitter tone, Brenda's eyes filed with sadness.

"I decided you might benefit from talking to her about what you've been through, that's all. You don't have to see her again, just talk to her Gadget, Please? Do it for me, I just want to know you're okay, that you've come out of this with no lasting effects."

Gadget gave a sigh.

"Fine, I'll talk to her now – and then she's leaving."

Brenda had picked up on the hostile tone of his voice at once.

"I'll leave you alone with her to get on with it," she replied, "I'm sure this can't do any harm."

_"I wish you hadn't done this," _Gadget said quietly, and then he walked away from Brenda and into the front room, wanting nothing more than to get this unnecessary meeting over and done with.

* * *

Allison was sitting on the sofa. Gadget took a seat on the other chair, looked at her across the coffee table and forced a smile.

"So, my wife thinks I need a therapist...even though I've been through far worse than being trapped underground. I lost seventy percent of my body many years ago, that's why I became a cyborg. If I can get through that, I can get through anything. No offense, Dr Montgomery, but I don't need you."

She paused for a moment and then met his gaze with soft hazel eyes.

"I'm aware of that, Inspector. But Brenda suggested perhaps it might be a good idea for me to speak with you to see if you had anything you needed to get into perspective regarding your recent ordeal."

Gadget felt mildly irritated by the tone of her voice, so gentle yet seeming to imply she knew better than anyone...

"_Well I don't."_

"You said the worst you went through was losing seventy percent of your human body. Does that loss still affect you now? I would imagine after coming to terms with your cyborg body and then having someone attempt to take it apart must have a been a highly traumatic experience."

Gadget held back on his anger as he looked across the table at Allison.

"I've had offers of therapy and counseling and psychiatric help from the day I woke up as part machine. And I've always turned it down. It's not because I don't want to accept help, it's because I don't _need_ it. I accepted my life as it is a long time ago. I _don't_ need your opinion or perspective to try to alter mine because there's nothing wrong with my acceptance of my own situation! And I'm an Inspector with Riverton Police, I'm a crime fighter, my mods were designed to help me fight crime. That's what I do and sometimes, bad things happen. It's just a part of my job."

She nodded, taking in all he had said.

"But what about when your captor tried to remove parts from your cybernetic body, did you feel violated?"

"Well I wasn't too happy about it!"

"Do you still feel violated?"

Gadget looked at her.

"Yes," he said flatly, "I do. But _not_ by what I went through – _this_ feels like a violation. I don't need your help and I'd like you to leave my house, please."

She stood up at once, and the look in her eyes made him wonder if perhaps he had spoken too harshly, but he had always had the same policy on shrinks of any kind:

_He knew his own mind; he didn't need to someone else to second guess it for him..._

She walked over to the door and Gadget followed.

"I'm sorry you feel I can't help you," she said to him.

Gadget forced a smile.

"No problem, I'm just freeing up your valuable time so you can go and talk to someone who _needs_ to hear it. Have a nice day..."

And he extended his arm to the front door and opened it for her.

Then he watched as she walked down the hall, went out of the front door, and then he closed the door again.

As his hand wound back into place at the wrist, Brenda came out from the kitchen.

She stared at Gadget, who gave a shrug.

"What?" he asked, "Don't look at me like you can't believe how inhospitable I was to the _shrink lady!_ You know how I feel about that kind of thing!"

"But Gadget, she was only trying to help."

"I don't need help," he replied, "Yes, what I went through was hard, I'm expecting bad dreams and flashbacks but that kind of stuff fades after a while. I'm Inspector Gadget, I've been fighting crime in this town for more years than I care to count, I've come up against all kinds of trouble and I've _always_ got through it! Don't _ever_ do that to me again, please."

Brenda nodded.

"Okay, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you."

Gadget headed for the stairs.

"I'm not upset," he replied, "I want to go and sort out what I'm wearing for Sanford's dinner party on Friday – does my black suit need cleaning, or did you get it cleaned after Taylor Braydon's birthday party?"

Brenda was briefly confused as she wondered how he could come out of such a traumatic situation and then talk as if nothing had happened.

"Sanford threw up all over you, it had to be cleaned. It's hanging up in the closet. Are you _sure_ you feel like going to this party?"

"Of course I do," Gadget replied, "Life goes on, Brenda."

And then he went upstairs, leaving her to wonder if he really had got over all he had been through, or if he was choosing to hide it...

* * *

Two days later, as evening shadows fell, the Gadget Mobile rolled up into the driveway of the home of Sanford Scolex.

As Gadget and Brenda got out of the car, followed by Megan, Taylor Braydon, who had been enjoying a glass of champagne whilst standing on the porch with his wife Emma, turned from watching a beautiful sunset and hurried over to greet them.

"Hi Gadget!" he said warmly, "It's _so_ good to see you! I'm so glad you were rescued so fast. Are you feeling okay now?"

Gadget smiled, despite feeling as if his collar had just become a little too tight at the mention of his brush with death.

"I'm perfectly fine thanks, Taylor," he replied, and then went into the house, to avoid further mentions of his time held captive underground.

As he walked away Taylor smiled warmly at Gadget's wife and daughter.

"It's good to see you too, Brenda, and you Margaret!"

And Gadget's daughter gave a sigh as she shook her head.

"It's _Megan_!" she said, but Taylor had already walked back towards the house, noticing his wife had just gone inside.

Brenda and Megan followed, and on entering the house, Megan saw Riley, who smiled at her from the other side of the large dining hall, and she turned briefly to her mother.

"I'm just going to talk to Riley."

Brenda smiled.

"Of course you are," she said sweetly, and as Megan walked off, Brenda went over to a table where drinks were waiting and picked up a glass of champagne.

* * *

Gadget had walked straight over to a corner where Sanford Scolex was laughing loudly as he told Chief Quimby he loved his jokes.

The Chief glanced at Gadget as Scolex laughed again and spilled some champagne.

"It wouldn't be a party with out him getting drunk!" he exclaimed, "I'm going to sit down at the table with my wife."

And the Chief walked off, leaving Gadget and Sanford alone.

Sanford took another sip of champagne, then turned his head and blinked, surprised to see Gadget standing there.

"You're looking well," he said warmly.

Gadget smiled.

"I'm fine," he promised him, "A lot of that's down to you. Thanks for being the voice inside my head – you really got me through."

And he gave him an unexpected hug and as he let go, Sanford blinked back tears as he looked at his oldest and dearest friend.

"I had to," he replied, "What kind of a world would this be without Gadget?"

And the two men exchanged a smile that needed no more words.

Then as Robo Brenda led Robo Gadget over to join them, she cut in with a shrill giggle.

"I've got some great news! Quimby's giving my Robo Gadget a real police job, he's going to be working at the Police Department looking after files and records, isn't that great?"

"That's just to start with," Robo Gadget added, "He said if I do good he'll give me more exciting jobs!"

Gadget thought back to the time when he had accidentally arrested Quimby's mother for speeding many years before, and Quimby had given him a _new job_ because of it...

"Just make sure it doesn't involve cleaning toilets!" he warned him.

Robo Gadget turned away to get a drink and Robo Brenda lingered at the side of Sanford Scolex for a moment, and then she giggled.

"It's funny to think all those years ago, you were the one who had me built!"

Gadget thought about it, and wondered why they had not stayed together in this altered timeline, where he had still ended up with Penny instead, many years later...

"Why did you two break up?" he asked.

Sanford took a sip of champagne, then shuddered at the memory of an insatiable Robo Brenda crawling up the bed as she beckoned to him with a manicured finger, saying, _"Come on, you can do better than that...Give me more!"_

"We broke up because we were not compatible. She's an android with a very high sex drive...far too high for a mere human to keep up with."

Brenda gave a shrill laugh.

"Tell me about it! I lost count of the times I tried to get him going all over again - and Mister Floppy just _didn't_ want to know!"

Sanford's face turned red and as Kramer and his girlfriend Cindi came over, Sanford shot the scientist a look.

"_Why_ did you make her so insatiable?" he said in a low voice.

Kramer gave him a sly smile.

"You got what you asked for. You told me to build you a woman who wanted you night and day...no, _wait _– you _shouted_ and _yelled_ at me to do that. Maybe I turned her up a little _too_ high..."

And Cindi giggled, and the two of them went back to the table, followed by Robo Gadget.

"I said I'd be at the party," Gadget reminded Sanford, "And here I am."

"I knew you'd be rescued," Sanford replied, drinking more champagne, "I had no doubt about it, my friend. And it's all ended well."

Gadget smiled as he nodded in agreement, but memories of his ordeal still weighed heavy on his mind even though he had no intention of sharing that fact.

They turned to go over to the table, and as Bess Nightingale walked up to him wearing a long dress that exposed the metal work that ran from her head to her spine, Gadget took in a breath, thought about secretly accessing the hidden chip later on – but then cancelled that thought as he caught Brenda cast him a suspicious glance.

"Bess!" he said in surprise, "Good to see you. How's Felix?"

Sadness reflected in her eyes.

"He's recovering but the outcome of the surgery is difficult for him to deal with. He can't continue working for Taylor, much of what he knew before is gone and he's tried to feed it back in via his external memory chip but he just can't get the science back together. He had a scan two days ago that showed he's healed well but it looks like the gaps in his memory will always be there. Taylor gave him a very generous settlement when he had to let him go. But he feels like his life is over. He wants to set up as a metallic body art tattooist when he's fully recovered, but he still hasn't lost the shake in his right hand. He's really down. I'm only here tonight because he wanted me to come and see everyone and forget about everything for a while."

"I'll talk to him," Gadget promised, "Tell him I'll come over and see him in a few weeks, when he's settled back at home. Perhaps by then many of the problems will have settled down. Tell him I _will _be there for him."

Bess nodded.

"Thanks," she said, and Gadget turned away and went over to the table, where Brenda shot him another suspicious look.

As he sat down for dinner, his thoughts were still on Felix Todd, he knew the man needed his help and he was determined to give it, even if Brenda was convinced anything he did in that direction would be for the sake of Bess Nightingale.

It wouldn't be easy to convince her otherwise, but his mind was made up – Dr Todd needed his help, and he was going to give it, no matter _what _Brenda made of the situation...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_The weeks passed by. _

Gadget went back to work, stayed away from the memory card he had taken out and most of the time, he pretended it didn't exist.

But once in a while his thoughts would stray back to the past and he found himself thinking more and more about how easy it would be to insert that chip and close his eyes, that would be all it took to relive another timeline only he could remember...

But he had resisted the urge.

Life had more or less returned to normal – along with a few nightmares and feelings of panic that rose and fell every time he drove along the stretch of road that took him past the shining monuments of Steel Temple Cemetery.

Every time he drove past the place the memories hit him, and this day had been no exception – but he accepted that he couldn't go through life and all the risks associated with his job and not acquire _some_ level of mental scarring.

He wondered what Dr Allison Montgomery would have made of that theory, but he had no intention of asking her.

As he drove along the road that led into town, the Mayor's sparkling smile loomed closer on the sign that said _Welcome to Riverton,_ and he laughed as he recalled the day Sanford had played with the virtual rockets and sent him and the Gadget Mobile straight between the legs of the Mayor's image.

As he chuckled the communication wire opened up in his head and Sanford's voice came through loud and clear:

"Good morning my dear old friend," Sanford said fondly, "Ready for another exciting day on duty, Gadget?"

And Gadget sat back comfortably, taking his hands off the wheel as the car took over and slowed to a leisurely pace.

"Good morning to you too, Sanford. What's the situation in town?"

"Oh, the usual," he said in a playful voice, "Three stabbings, two fires, four bank robberies and forty shootings...and I almost forgot, for some unknown reason _all_ the women in town are running around naked!"

Gadget chuckled.

"So it's another average day?"

"Absolutely, Gadget – there's zero crime to report as usual."

"Great," he replied, "I like to start the day with good news and I'm glad its come from you."

"I'm happy to be the voice inside your head."

"I'm happy you're in there too!" Gadget agreed, recalling how Sanford's voice had been the only thing that held him together while he was trapped underground in the tomb.

"So what do you have planned for today?" Sanford asked.

"You want to know what I'm up to? I'm going over to Braydon Industries and then I'm going to pay a visit to Felix Todd."

"Be sure to give him my best wishes." Sanford replied, "I've heard all about it, how he's struggling to cope. Is it true Bess has taken extended leave from work to look after him?"

At the mention of his former love, Gadget felt a brief ache in his heart, but without the memory chip to brighten the recollection, the ache vanished like a ghost.

"Yes it is true," he told him, "He's got a lot of problems and it's going to take him a long while to adjust. There's a possibility Bess may never be able to go back to work because he needs her with him, he's not ready to cope on his own yet."

"Well don't forget to give him my regards," Sanford replied, and then he added, "I'd better go now... got to look busy!"

"Speak later, Sanford." Gadget replied, and the channel fell silent.

"Does Taylor know you're coming over?" the car asked, "I mean, it's early – he might not be at work yet."

"Good point," Gadget replied, "Put a call through to Braydon Industries."

And as the car sped down the long, straight road with the sun shining in blue skies, Gadget waited for the call to be answered.

"Hello, Braydon Industries," said Emma Braydon.

"Gadget here, I wondered if Taylor's around? I wanted to speak with him about Dr Todd."

"Taylor's not here yet – he's over at the Braydon Towers Housing Estate."

"The what?" Gadget wondered.

"His new project. It's over the bridge in East Riverton; he's having the Waking Dreams facility converted into apartments."

"Sounds like a good idea!" he replied, "It's about time that place was used for something functional. Thanks Emma, speak later."

Then Gadget ended the call and looked down at the computerized face on the screen.

"Let's get over to East Riverton," he said to the car, "I can't wait to see this housing project!"

And the car sped off, heading for the road that led to the Riverton Bridge.

* * *

When Gadget reached his destination after crossing the bridge that stretched over water made sparkling by sunlight, he drove into East Riverton and stopped the car, pausing to look up at the tall buildings and the vast amount of work that was going on as construction workers went about their busy morning.

Then he got out of the car and spotted Taylor leaving the main building.

"Gadget!" he said warmly, and Gadget smiled as he went over to join his friend.

"So you've decided to turn this into housing?" Gadget remarked, "That's a great idea, Taylor. This town needs some nice new apartments, it will give the east side a whole new lease of life."

"That depends on what you're intending to do with _this_," said a familiar voice.

Gadget turned to see Chief Quimby hurry over from his parked car.

"What have I done?" Taylor wondered.

The Chief held up a printed leaflet.

"You can't give these out, Taylor – it's against the law!"

Taylor's eyes grew wider.

"But there's no cuss words in it, I wrote a nice letter!"

The Chief began to read the printed words:

"Dear _human person_, this housing area is designed for cyborgs only. But I allowed you to live here because I picked you, so please will you consider having some cybernetic work done, so that you can enjoy the happiness that _man metal_ will bring into your life?"

Taylor blinked.

"I thought it sounded okay."

Quimby shook his head.

"You can't distribute this. You're trying to push cybernetics on to people, Taylor."

"But I didn't mean it that way –"

"I know," Quimby said kindly, "But no more of these messages, okay?"

Taylor nodded.

"Okay, I won't give them out."

Gadget looked at Taylor with interest.

"It's primarily housing for cyborgs?"

Taylor smiled a big goofy grin.

"Even better than that," he said proudly, "I'm giving these apartments away deposit free! I even picked out my tenants personally!"

"Tenants?" Quimby wondered, "I thought you were selling the apartments to wealthy clients?"

"Oh no, "Taylor replied, "It's far, far better than that!"

And he flung his arms wide, as if he wished he could embrace the whole estate.

"_IT'S SOCIAL HOUSING!"_ he yelled joyfully, and his voice echoed around the buildings as workers briefly stopped, stared at him, then carried on with their tasks.

Quimby's eyes grew wider.

"You're giving apartments away to homeless people?"

Taylor's eyes shone with joy as he nodded.

"That's a really nice thing to do," Gadget told him.

"_There goes the neighborhood!"_ Quimby said gruffly, and then he waved the leaflet again.

"No more pushing cybernetics on to people!" he said sharply.

Taylor's smile faded.

"Okay..."

The Chief turned to leave, but then turned back to Gadget.

"I almost forgot – I was going to go over to Dr Todd to give him some paperwork, but maybe you could do it for me, Gadget."

"I was planning on seeing him any way," Gadget replied.

Quimby handed him an envelope.

"What's it about?" Gadget asked.

"It's come to my attention that Dr Todd, before he was attacked, was working part time as a metallic tattooist. He was doing it without a license."

Gadget stared at Quimby.

"You can't throw the book at him, not now, his life is in ruins –"

"Of course I'm not!" Quimby said abruptly, "I took the liberty of sorting out the problem by getting him a license, just in case he ever wants to go back to it."

Gadget's expression changed at once as he looked at the Chief and felt moved by the fact that he had taken the time and trouble to make such a kind gesture.

"That was really nice of you, sir!"

"I'm sure it was," he replied dismissively, "I'll see you later, Gadget, I've got work to do. "

Then the Chief made his way back to his squad car.

Gadget put the envelope in his pocket and turned back to Taylor.

"About this housing project - I hope you were sensible about your selection process," he said, "I mean, you didn't just take a whole load of people off the streets and..."

Taylor was smiling that goofy grin again.

Gadget's heart sank a little.

"You did, didn't you..."

"Well," Taylor said, "I began with homeless cyborgs and cyborg families in temporary accommodation. But I still had a lot of apartments to fill, so I put an ad in the paper for homeless cyborgs who wanted to rent a brand new apartment, no deposit required – but _other_ people turned up too."

"What other people?" Gadget asked him.

Taylor thought for a moment.

"I wasn't going to consider non cyborgs at first...but there was this guy, and his dog was sad. And there was a lady who kept shouting at her husband and their kids were running around taking my building apart – security had to round them up – but they had a baby too, and it smiled at me. Then there was the old lady who smelled funny and needed a bath. I liked her canary. And there was this drunk guy, but he sings funny songs..."

Gadget couldn't help smiling.

"It wasn't Sanford on his way home from a party, was it?" he said playfully,

Taylor didn't get the joke.

"No, he definitely wasn't Sanford," he replied, "This guy was too short to be Sanford. But anyway, I gave them all apartments. And there were a few others, too... Gadget, I gave homes to _all_ of them!"

He was still smiling as he looked at Taylor Braydon and thought what a kind person he truly was.

"That's great," he told him, "I'm sure they will be excellent tenants. But just in case there's any trouble, I'm going to ask the Chief to send regular patrols up here to make sure everything's okay. And it might be a good idea to ask Mayor Wilson to consider some help for these people too – access to health care and education and other social needs."

Taylor's eyes grew wide.

"I don't want to go and see Mayor Wilson – she _gropes_ people!"

Gadget smiled as he shook his head.

"Maybe you should just _call_ her and make the suggestion," he added, "If you say you're willing to partly finance some of it, and remind her how generous and kind it will make her look in time for the next election, I'm sure she'll say yes."

Taylor was smiling again.

"I'll do that! Thanks Gadget, its a great idea. Is that what you came over to see me about, the housing project?"

"No," he replied, "I wanted to talk to you about Dr Todd. Was there no way you could have kept his job open for him?"

Taylor's smile faded as he shook his head.

"He can't do his job right any more. He can't remember enough to deal with science. I did try to offer him another job –"

"What happened?"

Taylor gave a sigh.

"I know what him and Bess are into, so I told him I had a new job lined up for him on the same money he was on before, I said he could sit in a nice, comfortable office all day long and be the person who watches and rates the latest erotic cyborg art movies for me, so I can decide which ones I want to add to my _vast_ collection - but he called me an idiot and said no thanks."

Gadget looked at him kindly.

"I know you meant well, Taylor. I'm planning to see him today. Maybe I can talk to him about how he's feeling, perhaps I can help him to adapt."

"I hope you can." Taylor replied, "He's really given up on life, I wish someone would help him, but he's hard to talk to. He was always grumpy around me before the head injury, now he's much worse!"

"I'll see what I can do," Gadget promised him, and then he went back to the Gadget Mobile, and told the car to take him to the home of Dr Felix Todd.

* * *

As Gadget drove across town, he was deep in thought.

The license that Quimby had handed him to give to Felix was on his mind as he wondered if Felix would ever take up tattooing again.

Then he thought of his daughter and the beautiful artwork on her arm, and then he began to form a plan.

It was a plan that he wished he had more time to think about, but by the time he turned into Dr Todd's street, he knew what he was going to do and he hoped it would work, because Felix needed _something_ to pull him out of his depression...

As the Gadget Mobile slowed to a halt, Gadget stayed in the car, still deep in thought.

"Are you getting out?" asked the car.

Gadget gave no reply as he thought about his own cybernetic composition – he was _far_ more modified than Felix, whose cybernetic work had been limited to a partial electronic brain and a removable memory storage card that ran into his wrist. In many ways their modifications were similar in that respect, but the difference was, Gadget's repairs had been for a different type of injury - Felix had suffered a traumatic brain injury that could not be cured, just repaired, and to what extent was largely down to luck...

"G Man, _are _you getting out? What do I have to do, sound my horn, blast out the radio on full volume?"

Gadget snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the screen.

"I heard you the first time, Gadget Mobile! Wait here, I won't be gone long."

Then Gadget got out of the car, walked up the path and knocked on the front door.

As Bess opened the door, Gadget felt no longing for the past as his thoughts were now fixed on Dr Todd.

"I came over to see Felix, is he well enough for visitors?"

Bess stepped back and opened the door wider.

"He's doing okay," she replied, "He's in his work room, looking through some old designs."

As she closed the door she lowered her voice.

"Felix has healed really well, Gadget – but it's like he's not the same man I used to know. He's so unhappy, he told me he feels useless. He used to be so confident; I just don't know what to do to bring that back for him."

They walked down the hallway and stopped by the door to the work room.

"You can't bring it back," Gadget told her, "He has to find that inside himself. It'll come, he just needs time."

Bess nodded.

"I hope you're right," she replied, and then she went in to the room, spoke quietly to Felix and came out again.

"I'll leave you guys alone to talk," she told him, "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Gadget said, still turning his plan over in his mind.

As Bess walked off in the direction of the front room, he paused outside the door and took a deep breath, deciding on his plan. He knew what he wanted to do, he didn't know if it would work, but _anything_ was worth a shot...

Then he opened the door and went inside.

Felix was sitting at a desk while he worked on a sketch for a design.

Gadget noticed the pencil shook slightly in his hand because the tremor had not left him completely, and then as Felix looked up, he smiled.

"Hi," Gadget said, "I wanted to come over and see how you're doing."

Felix looked back down at the sketch, added a few more strokes of the pencil to add depth to the swish of a mermaid's tail and then put the paper and pencil down on his desk.

"I'm okay," he said quietly, "I can still make designs. My hand shakes, but I can still draw. I don't think I'll ever do another metallic tattoo, but at least Megan has a lovely piece of art work on her arm. _That was my last piece_."

Gadget said nothing for a moment as he looked at the man whose face matched his own.

Felix seemed much better now, even though his hand shook and there was sadness about his eyes and he still seemed slightly fragile. His hair had grown enough to cover the scarring on his head and his eyes now looked completely human, there was nothing about his outward appearance to even hint at the massive work he had undergone to repair his damaged brain. Perhaps the only clue was the look in his eyes; _the more Gadget looked at him, the more he recalled how lost he had felt in the first days following his own cybernetic conversion..._

Gadget stepped closer, and then he cast a glance around the room, saw the cybernetic tattooing equipment and a book of designs placed on a shelf.

"Is this where you used to do most of your metallic tattoos?"

"Used to." Felix replied, "I can't do anything right these days, Taylor Braydon had to let me go because I wasn't up to my regular job any more. I was one of the top cybernetics experts in the country until I was attacked! Now I can't even remember the basics."

Then he laughed bitterly.

"Don't ever get yourself into another terrible accident, I can't give you another face – I can't remember how I did it the first time!"

Then Felix blinked back tears and took in a deep breath.

"But that's all in the past now. At least I still have Bess, she could have got out if she wanted to, but for some crazy reason she decided to stay and look after me."

_"Because she loves you."_

Felix nodded.

"I know she does. She tells me that every day. And I look at my shaking hand and think about how I can't work and I wonder why she bothers. We used to have such an exciting life together. Now I spend most of my time sleeping."

"That's because you need time to get used to the cybernetic part of your brain working in unison with the human side," Gadget explained, "It does take time. And before I forget I'd better give you this, it's from Chief Quimby."

And he handed him the envelope.

Felix glanced at it, and then looked back at Gadget.

"What is it?"

"Open it and find out."

Felix gave a sigh.

"So you can watch my clumsy hand make a mess of opening an envelope?" he complained, and held it in his steady hand while the weaker one broke the seal and then took out the paper inside it.

As he unfolded it, he fell silent.

"The Chief wanted to make sure you had a proper license, in case you ever felt able to go back to metallic tattooing," Gadget told him.

Felix folded the paper and put it down on the desk as he blinked several times as emotion swept over him again.

"Thanks. But I doubt if I'll ever do that, you've only got to look at my right hand to see how bad the shaking is."

And he held out his hand.

Gadget watched as it trembled slightly.

"It looks okay to me."

Felix stared at him.

"_Okay?_ Are you _crazy_? I couldn't use this hand to hold a scalpel and carve out a design, let alone handle liquid metal!"

"Do you still have all your tattoo equipment?" he asked.

"Sure I do, Gadget. Why did you ask, do you know someone who wants to buy it off me?"

Gadget smiled and shook his head.

"I was hoping you might be able to help me out with something," he said, and took off his trench coat and folded it over a chair, then began to unbutton his shirt.

Felix got up from his desk and walked over to him.

"What is it? You've had some work done and you want my opinion on it? I guess I can still give an opinion..."

Gadget slipped off his shirt and place it on top of his coat, then reached down to the center of his chest and carefully detached a micro chip.

"Take a look at this," he said, and handed it to Felix.

He studied the chip, turned it over in his hand, saw the _G_ printed on the outer side and shrugged.

"What, you had a new chip designed?"

"No, I've had that chip since the day I became a cyborg," he replied, "And I'd like a copy of that initial on my shoulder."

"So ask your wife to fit you with another metal plate."

Gadget looked at him.

"_I want it tattooed in metal into my shoulder."_

Felix stared at him.

"You don't want _me _to do it?"

"You did a great job for Megan."

"That was before," he said nervously.

"_And I think you can still do it."_

Felix shook his head.

"I don't even have a template to work from."

"Copy the chip. _I want you to do it freehand_."

His eyes grew wider.

"Freehand? Have you _seen_ the tremor I have in my right hand, Gadget? "

He nodded.

"And I don't think its too bad."

Gadget walked over to the treatment chair and sat down, leaning forward as he indicated to the back of his right shoulder.

"That's where I want it."

Felix stood behind him, looked at the chip and then pulled up a chair.

He ran his fingertips over the back of Gadget's shoulder and then stopped.

"I thought you meant you wanted it on your cybernetic skin. This is _human_ skin. Gadget, you're _only_ thirty percent human – do you _really_ want to give up some of that human flesh just get a metallic tattoo?"

"If it was on the artificial skin it wouldn't be real to me," Gadget replied, deciding that to lose a little more of his human skin would be worth it if the result gave Felix back his confidence, "That's where I want it – same size as the G on the chip. Can you do it?"

Felix drew in a deep breath.

"If I screw up, remember you asked me to do it!" he warned him, and then he set some living metal alloy into the heater and waited for it to liquefy.

"I'll have to inject you before I carve the design," Felix told him, reaching over to a drawer and taking out a syringe and a vial of local anesthesia.

The thought of a needle in his human flesh wasn't something Gadget was looking forward to, but he closed his eyes and spoke calmly.

"Just do what you need to do, Felix."

"Okay...hold still...sorry if my hand shakes... I hope I don't snap the needle in you."

Gadget laughed nervously.

"What's the big deal about one more piece of metal inside a cyborg like me?"

Then the needle sunk deep and stung sharply and he briefly caught his breath.

Felix drew the needle out quickly, pausing to wipe away some blood.

"Okay, let me know when it starts to go numb, I'll get a sterile scalpel..."

Gadget sat and waited while Felix prepared to get started. As numbness crept over his shoulder, he spoke up again.

"I know you won't mess this up. I think you'll do a great job."

"And what if I don't?" Felix asked nervously.

"I'll still thank you for trying," Gadget replied.

Finally, a very nervous Felix Todd sat behind him and placed the chip on the table, looking down at it for a few moments as he studied the style and shape of the lettering.

"Okay," he said, "I'm going to start now... sorry if I screw this up."

Gadget felt nothing as he cautiously set to work, carving the small G into his shoulder.

"I have to take my time," Felix said quietly, "I have to stop when my hand shakes...I never used to be as slow as this...a design like this would have taken me ten minutes before, but now it's more like twenty..."

"It's worth waiting for," Gadget replied.

After pausing yet again, then doing some more scalpel work, Felix sprayed his shoulder and wiped it dry.

"I'll add the metal now," he told him, "This is the easiest part..."

Gadget glanced to the side and saw his hand shaking as he took the top off the heating device and then drew up the molten liquid into a heat proof hollow syringe.

"I'm almost done," he said quietly, "Hold still."

And Gadget felt nothing as the liquid ran into the carved out flesh, sealing in the design.

"Are you still numb?" Felix asked.

"I can't feel a thing," Gadget promised him.

Felix hit his shoulder with another burst of water and then gently dried it.

Then he stepped back and grabbed a mirror.

"You might be surprised," he said quietly, and then he smiled as pride shone in his eyes, "I know I am!"

Gadget looked into the mirror, seeing a perfect silver _G_ tattooed on to his shoulder and gleaming as it caught the light.

He looked at Felix and smiled.

"That's great work, thank you. I'll be sure to show this to the boys at the station, I know a few colleagues who would love to have work of this standard done... good cybernetic tattooists are hard to find."

And he stood up, took back his chip and set it into his chest panel once more, then rubbed his shoulder as feeling began to creep back into his arm.

"It's wearing off already?" Felix said in surprise.

Gadget laughed as he reached for his shirt.

"I'm a seventy percent cyborg, that pain shot you gave me wouldn't have lasted much longer – I'm glad you got it finished so fast!"

Then the door opened and Bess walked in.

"I can smell metal work?" she wondered.

And Felix smiled as his eyes lit up in a way that she had missed for so long.

As Gadget put on his shirt, she caught a glimpse of the fresh metallic tattoo on his shoulder.

"Did Felix do that?"

Felix was still smiling as she looked at him.

"You did that?"

He nodded.

"I didn't think I could, but Gadget proved me wrong."

And as Bess walked over to him, he unfolded the license on the table and showed it to her.

"_I think we ought to put this in a frame, honey,"_ he said proudly_, "Just so my clients know I've got a proper license."_

And Bess laughed and hugged him as she told him she was proud of him.

Gadget finished dressing and turned to the door.

Felix let go of Bess and followed him out of the room and up the hallway.

"Thanks," he said again, "I never would have done another tattoo without you talking me into it. "

They had reached the front door.

Gadget looked into his eyes and smiled warmly.

"Thanks for giving me my confidence back," Felix said.

And Gadget thought back to all Felix had done for him so long ago when he had worked in cybernetic science.

"_Thanks for giving me a new face when I needed one."_

The two men briefly embraced, and then Gadget stepped out on the porch.

"Me and Brenda are having a barbecue next Sunday. Penny and Sanford are coming too, Sanford's been asking after you. A lot of people miss you, Felix. We'd love you and Bess to come over."

Felix was still smiling.

"I'll do that," he promised, and then Gadget walked back down the path, got into the Gadget Mobile and drove away, feeling surprised that he didn't feel a sense of loss for a small part of his human flesh that was now covered with metal – that additional material now probably made him less than thirty percent human, but his very human heart was warmed through at the thought that he had given Felix back his confidence, and that was all that mattered...

* * *

Gadget drove straight home.

Brenda and Megan were outside, sitting at the patio table while they drank iced lemonade and the sea rolled to shore a short distance from the end of the garden.

He left his hat and trench coat in the front room and unbuttoned his shirt, then went outside to join them.

Brenda looked up at him in surprise.

"You're home early!"

"I just went to see Dr Todd," Gadget replied.

"How is he?" Megan asked.

"He's much better," Gadget replied, "He's got a tattoo license and he's working again. He just did his first tattoo today. _It looks really good_."

And he took off his shirt and draped it over the back of a spare chair, and then he turned slightly.

Brenda stared at the G on his shoulder.

"Oh my God...that's beautiful!"

Megan jumped up from her seat excitedly.

"You got a metallic tattoo? That's great!"

And she hugged him tightly.

"I have the coolest Dad in the whole world!" she exclaimed, "I have to call Riley – I want him to see this!"

And she ran back into the house to grab her phone.

Brenda got up from her seat and placed her hands on Gadget's shoulders, sliding them slowly over his firm flesh and his new metallic tattoo.

"Since _when _did my husband get the urge to have a cybernetic tattoo?" she said with a smile.

"Since I decided to help Felix get his life back," he told her.

As Brenda looked at him, love shone in her eyes.

"You're amazing, Inspector Gadget," she said, and for once, Gadget didn't bother to deny it.

"_I know I am,"_ he said softly, and then he took her in his arms and kissed her, then kissed her some more, deciding this moment ought to last and last, because he loved Brenda, he was happy again and it was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

The End.

**Author Note:**

**This Ten Book series continues in Book Six : Urban Legends.**


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